Finding Kate by Julie Pollitt Page A

take care of things over there for a few days so I could keep an eye on her. So, you won’t need to go over to Emma’s place anymore.”
    A twinge of sadness filtered through Kate. Although she didn’t particularly like getting up early, she had enjoyed helping Will take care of Emma’s ranch. “I enjoyed helping. You’re a great teacher.”
    “I wish I had . . .” Will paused.
    Kate wasn’t sure why he stopped talking. The silence was awkward. “Wish you had what?”
    “I wish I had a chance to show you more.” Will stared into her eyes.
    Kate was a little stunned at his comment. She wasn’t sure he knew she existed more than to have her over to help feed chickens.
    “I know you and Trevor are close,” Will added, “and I see the way you look at him, so I hesitate to say more.”
    “I-I-“ Kate couldn’t get the words to come out of her mouth. She wasn’t even sure what to say. She liked the fact that he was showing interest, and she wanted him to say more. But what about Trevor? She did have him to consider.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eleven
    Kate glanced around at the patrons in the small Cortez restaurant. Green southwestern kokopelli symbols danced across the wallpaper, matching the design on the vinyl booths. She picked up a lemon wedge off a saucer, squeezed it over her water, and dropped it in.
    “I’m glad you called,” Trevor said, sitting across the table from her. “I wanted to tell you how proud I am of your accomplishment yesterday.”
    “I gotta say, I’m pretty proud myself.” She sat up, straightened her shoulders and smiled a wide-toothed grin. She could be proud of staying on top of her horse as she raced after Max and Will during the cattle drive.
    “I’m used to seeing you loaded down with shopping bags and carrying the latest style purse. This is a change for you.” He sipped on his soda.
    “I never said I would stop toting the latest fashions,” Kate said, smiling.
    “You miss home, don’t you?” Trevor laughed.
    Kate nodded and fiddled with her silverware, lining up the bottom of the knife with the spoon. “How’s Victoria?”
    “She’s fine.” Trevor shifted in his seat. “But, back to you. There’s something different about you.” He squinted his eyes and cocked his head to the side. “I’ve been trying to figure it out all day.”
    He changed the subject too fast. Had there been a rift in his plans with Victoria?
    The waitress arrived carrying plates of food. “Everything all right here?” She set their meals in front of them.
    “Fine. Great. Why? Do we look like something’s wrong?” Kate sensed the nervousness in her own voice.
    “I just thought maybe you wanted a refill on your water.” The waitress crinkled her forehead, pressing her eyebrows together.
    “Oh, I thought…” Kate stopped talking midsentence and decided closing her mouth would be a good plan. The waitress turned and walked away without saying another word.
    “You all right?” Trevor asked, leaning in toward the table. “You seem a little jumpy.”
    “Just tired from a long day,” she said, hoping her explanation would satisfy Trevor.
    “I really haven’t had much of a chance to spend time with you since you arrived,” he said, cutting his steak. “I’ve been so busy with the Durango paper. How are you settling in?”
    “It’s a huge change from Chicago. Today proved to be exciting. I’m glad you talked me into going on the cattle drive.” She laughed. “Covering local board meetings just doesn’t scream fun to me.” She’d sat through several meetings to fulfill her college journalism requirements and had decided going to the dentist would be more entertaining.
    “I know. But, it’s part of what happens in the community. It’s a small town and people are very involved in what takes place here,” Trevor said.
    “Town board meets in a few days. In the meantime, I thought I might try to dig up a more interesting story. One that will sizzle on the front