Caterina (Pendleton Petticoats Book 2) Read online

  Even his name made a flare of heat zip through her.

  Kade Rawlings.

  It sounded tough and rowdy, strong and wild. She glanced over at the man from beneath her lowered lashes and thought that description was probably quite apt.

  Thoroughly enjoying a good meal, the lively conversation created a jovial atmosphere as they ate dinner. The telephone jangled just as Aundy brought out cake with freshly whipped cream and strawberries. Quickly answering it, she called to Kade and he hurried into the kitchen.

  He returned to the dining room and gave a longing glance at the cake and berries before kissing Aundy on the cheek.

  “As much as I’d love to stay and eat more than my share of dessert, I’ve got to get back to town. We’re short-handed and it sounds like they’ve got their hands full with drunks and the usual business tonight.” Kade bent and kissed Nora’s cheek.

  “Can’t you at least eat your cake before you go?” Aundy asked, holding a plate of dessert out toward him.

  “Afraid not. Sounds like they really need some help right away.” He dug into the pocket of his denims, pulled out a bronze star, and fastened it to the front of his shirt before giving Caterina a long, interested look. “Thanks for dinner. I’ll see ya’ll later.” A wave followed him out the door.

  Caterina gasped in disbelief.

  “What does Kade do?” she asked, looking at Garrett as he took a bite of his dessert.

  “He’s a deputy to the sheriff,” Garrett replied, after wiping his mouth on a napkin. “Don’t worry. He’s used to getting called to work.”

  “I see.” Of all the people who could have turned her head, she had to be attracted to a man of the law.

  Chapter Three

  “She’s hiding something,” Kade said to his horse, Pete, as he rode to his little acreage outside town, thinking about Caterina. The woman had been in his thoughts non-stop since he met her.

  Pete bobbed his head up and down in agreement.

  Often alone, Kade had years ago taken to talking to his horse. It helped him solve many crimes and sometimes allowed him to see things from a different perspective when he voiced his ideas aloud.

  “I could tell by the way she wouldn’t make eye contact, the way she carefully avoided answering specific questions. There is more to her story than she’s saying. What kind of trouble do you suppose she’s running from?” Kade rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stopped Pete outside the barn.

  He’d worked straight through the past forty-eight hours and was more than ready for some sleep and rest.

  Too busy to keep livestock, Kade had Pete and Ike, a blue Great Dane. He found a puppy cowering in a corner at a murder scene a few years ago and the animal decided to adopt him.

  Kade liked having a watchdog at his place. He sometimes left the dog alone for a few days at a time while he worked. Ike did fine alone, but if Kade was home, he wanted attention.

  “You keeping an eye on things, Ike?” Kade asked the dog as he ambled up to him. The animal’s big head rubbed against Kade’s back. Ike nearly pushed him off balance as he loosened the cinch on his saddle and removed it from Pete.

  Quietly speaking to both the dog and horse, he brushed down Pete and turned him out to pasture. As they walked to the house, he scratched the dog on the head with one hand and carried a basket with his other.

  At the back of the house, Kade opened the kitchen door and followed Ike inside. The dog sniffed his way through the house then returned to the kitchen where Kade pumped water over his hands and splashed his face.

  One of these days, he might need to talk Garrett into helping him do some updating and plumbing, like installing a kitchen sink with running water that didn’t have to be pumped and maybe even a water closet. For now, though, he was more concerned with getting food into his empty belly.

  Kade set the basket on the table, removed a napkin, and took out a plate heaped with fried chicken, biscuits, and a baked potato.

  On his way home, he picked up a meaty bone from the butcher shop. He tossed it to the dog. Ike flopped down by the door, lost in doggy bliss. As he grinned at the canine, Kade dug into his own meal.

  After finishing his dinner, Kade removed a jar of milk and three cookies from the basket. He ate his dessert, tossed the leftovers outside then shooed Ike out the door.

  Grateful one of the restaurants in town would make him food to take home or eat on the go, he was always careful to wash the dishes and return everything in good condition. He didn’t want to do anything that might end the convenient arrangement. With no time or talent to cook, he would starve if it weren’t for meals eaten in town or with friends.

  Hurriedly drying the dishes and returning them to the basket, he shucked his clothes on his way to the bedroom. He collapsed on the bed still wearing one sock.

  The last thing he remembered before sleep claimed him was a vision of a beautiful girl with black hair and snapping brown eyes flecked with gold.

  Startled awake, Kade rolled off the bed and grabbed his revolver in one smooth motion. As his eyes focused, he noticed Garrett framed in the doorway, his hands in the air as Ike stood beside him.

  “What the…what are you doing here?” Kade growled, lowering the gun and setting it on the table next to his bed. A glance down revealed he wore a pair of cotton drawers, one dirty sock, and nothing else.

  “I came to check on you.” Garrett smirked at Kade’s disheveled state before he turned back toward the kitchen, rubbing Ike on the head. “Guess you’re alive.”

  “Of course I’m alive,” Kade grumbled, hastily removing the sock and pulling on a pair of pants before walking to the kitchen. “You know better than to sneak up on me. I could have blasted a hole through you and think how mad that would make your wife. She’d quit feeding me and then where would I be?”

  “We heard you’ve been working a lot of hours. Aundy sent over some food. She thought you might be hungry.” Garrett pointed to a basket on the table as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

  Kade ran a hand through his sun-streaked hair and rubbed sleep from his eyes before taking a seat.

  “What time is it?” he asked, trying to think where he left his watch. It was still in his vest pocket lying on the floor somewhere between the kitchen and his bedroom. He looked outside and squinted at the bright sunlight filling the sky.

  “About one-thirty,” Garrett said, taking food out of the basket and setting it in front of Kade. A jar held coffee that had been hot when he left the house, but was now lukewarm. Kade didn’t seem to mind as he took a deep swig and set his attention on the plate. He quickly dug into the chicken and dumplings, and fresh greens, thankful for the meal.

  “I’m not eating Napoleon, am I?” Kade asked as he forked a bite of chicken. Aundy’s little rooster received daily threats of being turned into a meal if he didn’t behave. It was anyone’s guess if she might actually make good on it.

  “No. He’s still towing the line,” Garrett chuckled, watching Kade finish his meal. “I didn’t mean to wake you. We heard the past few days were pretty hard.”

  “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” Kade scraped the last bite from his plate. He started to get up to rinse it when Garrett took a piece of berry pie out of the basket.

  “She said since you missed dessert the other night, this might make up for it.” Garrett grinned as Kade accepted the pie.

  “If you weren’t already married to Aundy, I’d steal her away and not think twice about it.” Kade savored his first bite of the sweet, flaky treat. “If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, no wonder you fell prey to her many charms.”

  “Just remember who she married.” Garrett sounded terse, although he knew Kade was joking. Mostly. Food was a serious topic with his friend.

  “How can I forget? If you didn’t constantly remind me what a lucky man you are, just one look at her face lets the whole world know who she loves.” Genuinely pleased Garrett and Aundy had found each other, Kade thought they both deserved
to be happy and loved. “Now that I’m awake with a belly full of good food, I should say thanks for the meal and waking me up. I need to be at work to cover the evening shift and might have slept right through it.”

  “Lost in your dreams of a feisty Italian girl?” Garrett goaded as Kade rinsed off the dishes and returned them to the basket.

  “No!”

  Kade’s brusque reply came too quickly for Garrett to believe it was true. “Uh, huh. I see how things are.” Garrett leaned back in his chair and scratched Ike’s head. The dog sniffed the basket, hoping Kade saved some goodies for him. He wagged his tail when Kade tossed him another bone.

  “You don’t see anything, so don’t go imagining things that don’t exist,” Kade cautioned with a warning glance, not wanting to talk about his interest in Garrett’s houseguest.

  “Fine, fine.” Garrett held up his hands in defeat. Friends with Kade since they started school, he knew when the deputy got that particular look on his face, it was a good time to back down and give him some room. “I came to ask you a question. If you’d join the rest of civilization and get a telephone installed, I wouldn’t have to ride all the way over here to do it.”

  “If I did that, I’d starve to death.” Kade grinned as he filled a glass with water for Garrett and returned to his seat at the table. “You know Aundy sends food any time you come to see me and where would I be if you could just place a call instead of talking in person?”

  “Malnourished, for certain.”

  “What can I help you with?” Full and content after the delicious and unexpected meal, Kade grinned at his friend. “You know all you have to do is ask.”

  “That’s what I was hoping you’d say. We need to shear the sheep, and with your expertise in that particular area, I was hoping you could come help us next week.” Garrett ignored Kade’s grimace.

  “I… um… I’m pretty sure I… um…” Kade wracked his brain for any excuse to keep from helping. Finding none, he sighed and reluctantly nodded his head. “What day?”

  “Thursday.” Garrett appeared relieved. Kade grew up with an uncle who raised a large flock of sheep. He was one of the best at shearing, whether he admitted it or not. “I hired a crew, but I’m going to help, even though I’d rather do just about anything else. With you there, we can get it done in one day.”

  “Sure, I’ll be there, but only if you promise to feed me three meals and send me home with extra food.” Kade pictured the treats Aundy would make and wondered if Caterina cooked. He could imagine her graceful fingers rolling out pie dough and felt an odd tightening clench his gut. Quickly slamming the legs of the chair he’d been leaning back in down to the floor, he ran a hand over his face. “Just make sure I’m well fed, and I’ll be there.”

  “You’re the best.” Garrett stood and picked up the empty basket. Kade walked him out the door and around to the front of the house where Garrett left his horse tied to a post.

  “Tell Aundy I appreciate the meal.” Kade shielded his eyes against the glare of the mid-day sun as Garrett mounted Jester and turned him in the direction of town.

  “Why don’t you come for dinner tomorrow and tell her yourself?”

  “I might just do that.” It would take a force of nature to keep him away. The promise of good food was enough to draw him, but he desperately wanted to see Caterina again.

  “What’s the next step?” Aundy asked as she helped Caterina spread meat and cheese filling over a sheet of pasta dough.

  The welcoming aroma of spices filling the air in the kitchen tugged Caterina’s thoughts back to her family. She lost herself there for a moment, until Aundy bumped her with her elbow and looked at her expectantly.

  “Sorry,” she said, lifting another sheet of pasta and placing it on top of the filling. “Now we cut these out and crimp the edges.”

  Caterina worked quickly, cutting out the ravioli with a special tool she unearthed from the trunk of supplies her mamma lovingly packed for her. She patiently showed Aundy how to seal the edges.

  “These smell so good, Caterina. I can’t wait to try them.” Aundy was surprised Caterina offered to make the evening meal. They were discussing what to serve for supper when Caterina volunteered to cook. Before Aundy knew what had happened, Caterina disappeared into her bedroom and returned carrying jars of wonderful smelling spices to the kitchen, explaining her mother packed them for her before she left home.

  Caterina made a loaf of light, crusty bread that blended a yeasty aroma into the heady scent of spices. Effortlessly working together, the two women made the pasta and filling then gathered enough greens from the garden for a salad to go along with the meal.

  “Have you eaten Italian food before?” Caterina asked as she finished the ravioli and readied a pot of boiling water with a sprinkle of salt.

  “When I lived in Chicago. It tasted different, but good.” Aundy watched Caterina’s quick and efficient movements. The girl was no stranger to a kitchen and from the speed with which she worked, Aundy wondered if she didn’t have training as a professional.

  “Well, hopefully this will be as good, if not better. Thank you for letting me do this.”

  “What? Slaving away in a hot kitchen to make us dinner?” Aundy sat down at the table and drank from a glass of cold water. “It’s a real hardship for me to turn over the kitchen for a meal.”

  Caterina looked to see if her friend was teasing. The sparkle in her eye and the smile on her face gave her away. “You’d rather be out riding Bell or with Nik and the sheep, or stealing kisses from Garrett when you think no one is looking.”

  Aundy blushed from the roots of her blond hair all the way down her neck.

  Caterina laughed. “I think it’s sweet. I hope someday to find a man who loves me as much as Garrett obviously loves you.”

  “Thank you. He is one of a kind, but there are still some good men out there.” Aundy wiped the table where they rolled out the pasta dough.

  An image of tall, solid Kade Rawlings infiltrated Caterina’s mind. His smile, firm jaw, and brawny physique, along with the bright green of his eyes, filled her thoughts excessively the past few days.

  The very last person she should take an interest in was someone like Kade. As an officer of the law, he could cause more problems for her than half a dozen other men. She’d seen the police force in action too many times not to know courting one of them was like playing with fire.

  Ultimately, she blamed the police for failing her and those Luigi hurt by turning a blind eye to his dealings. If the crime boss hadn’t been able to buy them off, they would have arrested him for any number of charges. Instead, they looked the other way, or even helped in his illegal schemes.

  No, Deputy Kade Rawlings was nothing but bad news. Staying far away from him was the smart thing to do.

  After checking the time, Caterina slid the ravioli into the boiling water and quickly whipped up a treat for dessert. She spooned it into bowls then covered the top with a clean dishtowel.

  Aundy set the table and filled glasses with water, setting one by each plate. Caterina turned to see there were two extra place settings on the table. She assumed one was for Nik. The boy drifted between the bunkhouse and the farmhouse, choosing where to eat by what was on the menu. Li, the Chinese cook at the bunkhouse, must be making something Nik didn’t like for supper.

  The first evening Caterina was there, she helped Aundy with the supper dishes when Nik strolled inside with books and papers in his hand. After helping clear the table then wiping it down, he spread out his work. Aundy gave him a lesson that covered math and geography. When he asked Aundy if he could have a history lesson, she shook her head, gave him a handful of cookies and shooed him out the door.

  Caterina enjoyed learning right along with Nik and thought it was a fun way to spend an evening. When she asked Aundy about the boy and his education, Aundy said he was too bright to spend his life herding sheep and she wanted to help him do more. Although Nik didn’t know it, Garrett and Aundy planned to s
end the boy to school in the fall and hire someone else to watch over the sheep. Aundy continued sharing her knowledge with him during the summer months.

  Caterina skipped many of her school studies growing up, but was happy to listen as Aundy worked with Nik.

  Caterina ladled a sauce made from canned tomatoes and herbs into a bowl and set it on the table along with the ravioli.

  The bread she made earlier warmed in the oven, sliced, drizzled with oil, and topped with a sprinkling of herbs.

  “I don’t know what you girls are cooking, but I could smell it clear down the lane,” Garrett said as he walked in, leaving his hat on a peg at the back door. He crossed the kitchen in a few long strides and took Aundy in his arms, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. He winked at Caterina before washing his hands at the sink.

  “You’ll have all the men from the bunkhouse clear to Ma and Pop’s place pounding at the door wanting a taste.” Garrett glanced at the table, trying to figure out what they were having for supper. With his wife’s Norwegian ancestry, he tried a lot of food he’d never eaten before since they wed. The delicious aromas greeting him had a spicier fragrance to them, making him curious about the menu.

  “Caterina made Italian food for supper.” Proudly, Aundy beamed at the dark-haired beauty as she placed the bread in a cloth-lined basket. “If it tastes even half as good as it smells, I think we are in for a treat.”

  “Did someone say treats?” Kade walked inside the kitchen with Nik. The two breathed deeply and turned hungry gazes toward the table. Caterina nearly dropped the basket of bread when she heard the deep timbre of his voice. It had been replaying in her dreams and sounded even better in person.

  Kade hung his hat next to Garrett’s, strode to the sink to wash his hands, and found himself next to Caterina. Although her back was to him as she fussed with a bowl of something he couldn’t see, her exotic fragrance teased him over the spicy scents of the meal filling the air. He wanted to reach out and run a finger down the expanse of neck that showed above the collar of her dress to see if her skin felt as smooth and silky as it looked.