“Did Ryan send you over here?”
“He suggested it. And I’d have listened if I hadn’t already made plans to be here.”
She let out a frustrated groan. “I need to be alone right now.”
“No, you don’t.” He flopped onto the couch, toed off his shoes, leaned back against the armrest, and propped his feet on the cushions. “You need to be doing something to take your mind off Ryan. Making dinner for me would probably do it.”
Her eyes slid closed, and she tried to muster up the exasperation he deserved. But instead, a pathetic laugh bubbled through her. She pushed his feet out of the way and dropped onto the couch.
Mitch sat up with a grin, tossed his arm over her shoulder, and chuckled. “See, isn’t that better?”
As she dropped her head in her hands, the laughter turned to tears. Her chest tightened, the implication of what she’d done sweeping over her. Sobs wracked her body, and as hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop the dam from breaking. She wrapped her arms around her head in embarrassment, some tiny part of her vaguely aware she wasn’t alone.
“Oh, crap.” Mitch’s arms circled around her, pulling her tight against his chest. “It’s okay. Let it out.”
Her tears soaked into his blue T-shirt. She sniffled and tried to turn her head.
Mitch glanced down and waved a hand. “Go ahead. Use it as a tissue. It’s just a Cubs shirt. They suck this year.”
Gripping the soft cotton, she couldn’t help but chuckle through the tears. She fought for control, dragged air into her lungs, only to have the dam break all over again.
Mitch ran a hand down her hair. “You’re going to be okay. Cry it out.”
How could she hurt so bad after only a few weeks? A month ago, she hadn’t even known Ryan Harrison. Today, her world was tumbling down around her because she couldn’t have him.
And what hurt most was knowing that even with everything she’d been through, knowing all the lies, all the deceit, she still wanted him. She wanted his arms around her. Wanted his body lying next to her. Wanted that family she’d never expected, never let herself hope for. In a few short weeks, he’d changed everything for her. And she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to set it right again.
Somehow, she steadied herself. Pushed back from Mitch and drew in large gulps of air.
He brushed a tear from the corner of her eye. “You never were much for emotional outbursts.”
Sniffling, she ran a hand across her face. “I’m still not. I told you I wanted to be alone.”
“What can I do?” he asked softly.
“Nothing. There’s nothing anyone can do.”
“Kate, Ryan’s not a bad guy.”
“I know that. I don’t want you caught in the middle, Mitch. I know you love him.”
“I love you too.”
Tears welled inside again, and she covered her eyes with her hand. “I know,” she managed in a weak voice.
“Isn’t there any way you two can work this out? It’s obvious how much you love him.”
“I do. Too much. But sometimes love just isn’t enough.”
His frown tore at her.
She swiped at her face again, desperate to change the subject. “Speaking of relationships…” She sniffled. “Simone tried to fire me today. Said she couldn’t in good faith be my lawyer anymore because she’s sleeping with you.”
A cheeky smile spread across his face. “What did you tell her?”
“I told her she couldn’t fire me because I was the client. And when she argued I told her if she brought it up again, I’d convince you to break up with her.”
His smile widened. “And what did she say?”
“She backtracked rather quickly. I think she’s got the hots for you, Mitch.”
His smile turned to a full-blown grin as he leaned back against the couch and threaded his fingers behind his head. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
Seeing how happy he was made Kate remember how unhappy she was. Tears threatened again. She’d cried more in the last few weeks than she had in a year. She was sick of being such a girl. She rose, wiped her face again. “I need to go lie down.”
He pushed off the couch. “Are you going to be okay?”
That was a ludicrous question at the moment. Her heart had just been ripped to shreds, and she still didn’t understand what had really happened to her. But knowing that wasn’t the answer Mitch wanted to hear, she mustered up a pathetic smile. “I’ll survive. I’ve learned how to cope along the way.”
Wind pelted the small house. A sliver of moonlight peeked through the sheer curtains in Kate’s living room, shining right in Mitch’s eyes. Tossing an arm over his face to block out the light, he muttered curses. Whatever happened to real curtains?
Slap. Slap. Slap.
Good God, what was that? He flopped onto his side and yanked the pillow over his head to block out the relentless sound and obnoxious light. How the hell did Kate ever fall asleep in this place?
Slap. Slap. Slap.
No way he was sleeping with that incessant noise. On a frustrated groan, he tossed back the covers and moved toward the kitchen. Waves crashed against the sand outside. Placing a hand up to the window, he peeked into the backyard.
Slap. Slap. Slap.
The screen flapped furiously in the wind. Pulling the back door open, he eased down the back steps in his bare feet, shivering in the cool night air. Sand gritted between his toes. A gust of wind whipped his hair in his face, reminding him he needed another haircut already. Damn thing grew like a weed.
The screen hung carelessly on rusted hinges. He ran his fingers along the doorjamb searching for a hook or latch of some kind. No way Kate just let it flop around all day and night. Unable to find anything, he made a mental note to fix it for her tomorrow. If nothing else, he could give her a peaceful night’s sleep.
A twig cracked behind him. His fingers paused on the wood. He turned. A shadow darted to the side. Pain exploded in the side of his head before he could follow the movement.
“Motherfucker.” He gripped his head and made it up one step before everything went black.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Light from the refrigerator spilled over Ryan into the dark kitchen. He stood with the door open, peering into the massive cavern. He wasn’t hungry, and a beer wasn’t going to quench the ache in the pit of his stomach. But lying in that bed upstairs remembering Katie next to him wasn’t doing much to help him relax either.
He glanced toward the phone. He should call her. But he didn’t know if she’d listen or just hang up on him. Rubbing a hand over the pain in his chest, he let out a long breath and closed his eyes. He’d give her a day. Then he’d try again. She wasn’t getting rid of him that easy.
His cell phone rang, and he jumped. Slamming the refrigerator door, he reached for it on the counter. Hope pulsed through him. Hope that she’d finally come to her senses.
“Katie?”
“Ryan, it’s Simone.”
“Oh, hey.” Disappointment flowed.
“Ryan, Mitch isn’t answering his phone.”
The hair on the back of his neck stood up at the panic he heard in her words. “What?”
“He’s not answering his cell. He told me he’d have it on him at all times. Kate’s not answering her home phone or cell, either.”
Oh, shit. He didn’t even think, just headed for the hall where he’d left his shoes. “I hired security to sit outside her house. They haven’t called. It could just be the storm.”
“Right,” Simone said, but he knew she believed that as much as he did. “My PI finally emailed his report. My server was down today so I just got it. Ryan, Walter Alexander had two daughters. One of them died of cancer five years ago. Paula McKellen.”