Kate excused herself and wandered over to the covered pavilion, where the caterers Grace had hired from Sun Valley were setting up. She helped them set out mints and nuts and looked up as she heard the unmistakable sound of Iona Osborn's quad cane.
Iona wore a red dress with so much blue rickrack on the ruffles that she looked like she was about to break into a square dance. "Hi, Iona."
"Hello, Kate." She stopped and looked over the three-tier white-and-blue wedding cake. "Did you make the cake?"
"No. I haven't graduated past cupcakes."
"You did a good job with those." Kate was about to thank her when she asked, "When is it your turn to get married?"
Kate thought the obvious answer to the question was, When I get asked. She didn't bother stating the obvious, though. "I just haven't found the right person yet," she answered. But she had. Or at least she thought she had. She glanced over Iona's ten-gallon pile of hair at Rob. He stood talking to her brother, pointing out at the lake toward town. The two shook hands, then Ted made his way toward Kate beneath the pavilion.
"How many times have you been asked when you're getting married?" he asked as he reached for a glass of punch.
"About ten. How about you?"
"Five." He drained the small glass. "You win."
This was one competition she didn't want to win. She was feeling a little testy, and her face hurt from smiling. Her head was pounding, too.
Great-aunt Edna grabbed a piece of cake and moved to stand by Kate and Ted. Edna's skin looked as tough as an old army boot, and Kate wasn't sure if that was due to her pack-a-day habit or the toxic effects of her bologna pie. "Are you next?" Edna asked as she reached for a little cup of nuts.
Kate didn't have to ask her what she meant. "No."
"Well dear, if your grandfather can find someone at his age, there's hope for you."
Kate tilted her head to the side. "Did you know that Harvard researchers have concluded that Coca-Cola is not an effective spermicide?"
"Huh?" Edna stared, her mouth slightly agape.
Kate patted her great-aunt on her bony shoulder. "That's good info to know if you ever find yourself without a condom."
Ted laughed and put his arm around Kate. "What do you say we cut out of here and find a bar?"
It was early enough that the Buckhorn wouldn't be filled up with knuckleheads. "Wanna play a game of pool?"
He smiled. "I'm not going to let you win."
They moved from beneath the pavilion. "You never let me win."
"Kate." She didn't have to turn to know who'd called her name. Even after everything, the sound of his voice still poured over her like warm rum. She took a deep breath and turned to watch Rob walk toward her.
He stopped a few feet from her and looked into her eyes. "Do you mind if I steal your sister for a few minutes, Ted?"
"No, I don't mind. Kate?"
She handed her keys to her brother. "Wait for me at my car."
Rob waited until Ted had walked away before he said, "Why are you leaving so soon?"
Because you don't love me and it's too bard to stay. "Ted and I are going to go play pool and catch up on what's been happening since Christmas."
He'd unbuttoned his jacket, and he shoved his hands in the front pockets of his pants. "Are you planning to tell him about us?"
She shook her head. "There's nothing to tell."
"There could be."
It was so tempting, even now, to believe that. But it was an illusion. A fantasy. "I knew when I got involved with you that I would end up hurt. I should never have told myself that I could handle it. I couldn't and I can't. It's over, Rob."
He rocked back on his heels and rubbed one hand across his chin and mouth. "The thing is, I think I might be in love with you."
Might? She waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. He looked at her as if he expected something from her. It was just too painful, and she turned to walk away before she could give in to the tears stinging the backs of her eyes.
His grasp on her arm stopped her. "I tell you that I think I love you and you walk away?"
"Either you love someone or you don't. Thinking you might be in love is not the same as being in love. It's not enough."
His gaze narrowed. "And a piece of paper and ring are going to ensure that I do love you enough?"
"No, but they're the first step to spending your life with the person you love."
He held up his hands. "Have you seen the divorce rate lately?" he asked incredulously as he lowered his arms. "You can bet every damn one of those couples thought they'd spend the rest of their lives loving each other."
"Keep your voice down. You're at your mother's wedding, for God's sake." She folded her arms across her chest, across her heart. "I happen to think your mother and my grandfather will be happy and stay married to each other."
"Yeah, but they're still only one out of sixty. Since you love statistics so much, I think you'd know that one."
Actually, it was 50 percent. "I don't care about statistics. I care about me. Finally. I care enough about me to never settle for less than I deserve."
"You think you deserve marriage?" he asked, but he had lowered his voice. "Babe, no one deserves that slice of hell on earth."
"I still want it. I want to try with someone who loves me enough to try with me. I want to grow old looking at the same face every morning. I want to grow old looking at the same face every night at the dinner table. I want to be one of those old couples you see still holding hands and laughing after fifty years of marriage. That's what I want. I want to be someone's forever."
"So that's it. I either marry you or you walk out of my life? Just like that? That easy?"
No, it wasn't easy. Breaking up with Rob Sutter was breaking her heart, but it would be so much worse if she let it go on.
"Marriage is just a piece of paper," he scoffed.
"If you believe that, no wonder your marriage to Louisa ended in disaster."
Rob watched Kate walk away, and he felt his jaws clinch. He'd just told her he might be in love with her, and she'd thrown it right back in his face.
He turned, and his gaze landed on Dillon Taber and his wife, Hope, standing a few feet away under the shade of a tree. Dillon turned his face toward his wife and pressed his forehead to Hope's temple. He said something that made her kiss him. A quick peck that had the sheriff sliding his hand down his wife's back to the curve of her behind. A familiar touch between two people who knew each other intimately.
That's what Kate wanted, and if Rob were honest with himself, that's what he wanted too. But at what price? A piece of paper and a gold ring? Those things didn't make people stay in love.
Rob reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He found his mother and Stanley and told them good-bye. He didn't feel like talking to anyone. He had too much on his mind.
He went home and fell into his usual routine of tying flies to take his mind off his troubles with Kate. It didn't work, and after he closed the store the next day, he grabbed his fishing rod and headed to the Big Wood.
The early evening sun turned the clouds orange and vibrant purple. He pulled his waders and vest over his T-shirt and headed into the river. The solace and comfort he usually found in the steady rhythm of stripping and casting his fly eluded him. The peace of mind he always found out in the open with nothing but the sound of the river and occasional dove evaded his grasp.
He thought about what Kate had said yesterday at the wedding. She thought marriage meant that people would love each other forever and never be lonely. He loved Kate. He didn't just think he did. He knew it down to the bottom of his soul, but there were worse things than being lonely.