A Good Man for Katie by Marie Patrick Page B

treated her and Emy as if they were his troops, expecting blind obedience. “If you see the cavalry riding into town, you know he’s come to bring me back to Washington.”
    “I doubt that will happen, but…” she grinned, making her eyes sparkle, “I wouldn’t mind seeing a man in uniform. My James always looked so dashing when he wore his union blue.”
    “Your husband was in the military?”
    “Oh, yes.” She tapped the letter against the palm of her hand and her grin widened with the memory. “That’s how we met. At a military ball in Austin. The first time we danced, I knew he was the one for me. I was sixteen and fell in love—” She snapped her fingers. “Like that. I daresay he felt the same.”
    Kathryne pulled a chair away from the table and made herself comfortable. “Did he fight in the Civil War?”
    Laurel shook her head and some of the light in her eyes died as sadness overcame her. “He wasn’t able to. He broke his leg just before the war was declared. It never healed right, leaving one leg shorter than the other by two inches or so. We had special shoes made for him so he wouldn’t limp.” She sighed as she filled a kettle with water from the pump and placed it on the stove. “I’m glad he didn’t serve, although I would have been proud of him if he had. My James was a good man.”
    Another sigh escaped her. “I thought when we married, we’d grow old together but…I have Walter to remind me of him. Walter has James’s red hair and the same impish grin.”
    Kathryne watched her friend, saw “what could have been” flash across her face, and felt guilty for bringing up the subject. Though Laurel had never said how James died, Emy had told her he’d been found several miles from Crystal Springs with a bullet in his back. Eight months later, no one knew why he’d been found where he had or who killed him. According to Emy, neither Sheriff Townsend nor his deputies had shown one wit of concern and didn’t investigate the murder.
    A little bell jingled from the front of the house, letting them know someone needed service. Laurel wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. “Excuse me a moment.”
    Laurel passed through the door. Kathryne listened to the voices though she didn’t recognize the patron. Whoever it was who came in to pick up his mail wanted to talk. Non-stop. Kathryne heard, though she didn’t want to know, all about the troubles the man had been having with his milk cows. A smile crossed her lips as Laurel responded with sympathy, but Kathryne could tell she wanted the conversation to end.
    The kettle whistled. She prepared the tea in a small china teapot then waited while it steeped before she poured the tea into her cup. Steam rose to scent the air as she studied the comfortable, cozy kitchen and listened to Laurel deflect another invitation to dinner then gracefully excuse herself from her would-be dinner companion.
    “I’m sorry,” Laurel entered the kitchen with an apology. “That was Mr. Davis. I suppose you heard. That man just can’t take no for an answer. This is the third time this week he’s invited me to dinner.”
    “He’s sweet on you, Laurel. Perhaps you should go.”
    “But I’m not sweet on him.” She poured herself a cup of tea and slid into the chair opposite Kathryne.
    “Would you marry again?”
    She tapped her finger on the brightly colored tablecloth then traced one of the design patterns with her fingernail. “If the right man came along, though no one could ever compare to my James.” Her lovely eyes were shiny.
    “I loved my husband. I believe he loved me. I realize things are different here, not like New York, Washington or even Austin. Men and women marry for convenience. Or to keep from being lonely. Or like Mr. Davis, who wants a mother for his children and help with his milk cows. I want what I had with James and I won’t settle for less.”
    “What about Mr. Jacobs?”
    A flush settled over Laurel’s face. “Ephraim and I