She’d suspected it, of course; been darned-near sure that this was the explanation she would eventually hear after her talk with Ralph Sorenson, but the bald facts, the depth of the deception that went into the lie, hit her hard, like a blow to the stomach. “I hope it was worth it,” she said through lips that barely moved. Inside she was shaking, quivering with a rage that burned bright in her soul.

“Katie—” He reached for her, but she ducked away, holding up her hands as she backed up a step and shook her head.

“Enough already.”

“Just listen.”

“I think I’ve heard enough to last me a lifetime, Gates.” She turned on her heel and marched to her father’s Jeep.

“If you would let me explain—”

“What?” Again she turned. “How you lied to me? Deceived me? Seduced me? Used me and my son for your personal gain? Is that what you want me to listen to? Well, forget it. It’s over, Luke.” She felt a tiny shaft of sadness. “It really was over before it began.” She yanked open the door of her father’s rig. “The only thing you need to remember is that the rent’s due on the first.” She slid into the hot interior and told herself it was better this way. Pumping the gas and turning on the ignition, she was reminded that she’d done just fine without Luke Gates in her life before; she could darned well do it again. She didn’t need anyone but Josh.

She reversed into the street, her eyes trained on the rearview mirror, then she threw the Jeep into first and roared away from Luke Gates. This time it would be forever.

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Katie pulled into the drive of her old cottage and felt a tug on her heartstrings. She climbed out of the Jeep and walked the familiar path to the back door, smiling as she saw Josh’s old basketball hoop still hanging lopsidedly from the garage. The trail Blue had worn from the front of the house to the back was still visible, a crooked ribbon of dirt in the grass, and the vegetable garden, hardly more than a tangle of weeds, displayed a few pumpkins yet to ripen, a couple of oversize zucchini squash and three vines of tomatoes with fruit threatening to rot.

She’d hired a yard crew to clean up the place and repairmen were scheduled to fix the dripping bathroom faucet, sagging gutters and somehow shore up the garage. Jarrod had promised to mend the screen and the twins had volunteered to patch the nail holes in the walls and help her paint next weekend. By then, she hoped, she’d have a tenant to help pay for the upgrades as well as cover the payments on her mortgage.