Rising Storm by Kathleen Brooks Page A

dig. Within a couple of minutes she watched as he carried the thick black ball into the house and put it on the kitchen table. Ruffles and her new best friend, Alice, came bounding over to check it out.
    Ruffles had taken it upon herself to help nurse Alice back to health. The two had become almost inseparable this past week. Now the two of them were staring at the cannonball with the same look that Joey had.
    "Beauford! Pick up the phone," her grandmother yelled into the phone.
    "I don't think he can hear you, Nana."
    "Well. I guess he'll be no help. Of course he chose today to go hunting with his buddies. Katelyn, dear, wasn't that nice young sheriff in the army? Give him a call and maybe he'll know what to do."
    With a grimace Katelyn went to the phone. She had a decision to make. Well, who was she kidding, she was a coward. She called Annie and had her call Marshall.
     
    Katelyn paced back and forth in front of the cannonball as she waited for the inevitable knock on the door. After yesterday and the way her father acted she didn't want to see Marshall. It was just one more reason he’d hate her.
    At the sound of the doorbell she prepared herself for the worst. She straightened her back and put on the mask she wore to cover her insecurity. She could do this. But, when she saw him walk in, she felt a pain in her heart. Why was she so torn? She couldn't stand him, but longed for him at the same time. It was life's cruel joke on her.
    He had the confidence she envied and the looks to back it up. His hazel eyes were sharp and his swagger was that of a real man, not some cocky wanna be. His eyes locked on hers and she tried to stare past him so she wouldn't see the pity or the hate. Hold on, he looked different. She actually looked at him now and saw that his eyes were soft and full of worry, not full of pity or cockiness.
    "Are you alright? Is it your father?" He asked quietly.
    "Oh, um, no. He left early this morning to see about a hotel in Hong Kong." She saw his brows crease as he looked around to make sure everyone was okay.
    "Then, what is it?"
    "Annie didn't tell you?"
    "I guess she thought it would be more fun as a surprise," he said dryly with a wry smile coming across his face, emphasizing a small thin scar on his chin.
    Katelyn couldn't help but return the smile. She stepped away from the kitchen table and held out her hands as if modeling a necklace on television. "Ta-da!"
    "Is that a cannonball?"
    "No, it's Nana's new hat. Isn't it lovely?" Katelyn deadpanned.
    "It's lovely Mrs. Wyatt. Would you care to tell me about it?"
    "Joey found it while digging a new fence post. We didn't know what to do with it. Where do you think it came from?" She watched as Marshall went over and put his arm around her grandmother.
    "Too bad, it would’ve made you a lovely hat. Then again, everything looks lovely on you." He gave her a squeeze and a wink before heading over to the table to look at the cannonball.
    She watched as he picked it up and turned it over. His eyes got big and he moved very slowly to put the old dented ball on the kitchen table. As soon as the ball was settled on the table he leapt backward. He grabbed Katelyn’s arm with one hand and Mrs. Wyatt's hand with the other and simultaneously pulled them back to the doorway.
    "Marshall, what are you doing?" Katelyn asked. She looked down where he was holding her hand and stared. His grip was strong, sure, and felt so warm.
    "That cannonball is live. It's also very old and I don't know how stable it is."
    "Live?" Katelyn took another step back.
    "Yup. See that plug there? That means it's intact and live. The size, shape and condition make me think it's from the Civil War."
    "There were no battles around here. Even I know that," Joey put in.
    "True. But there were battles in Perryville and Richmond, which are pretty close to us. It's very possible there was a little skirmish and while the troops were moving this got left behind. That would explain why it's still