Page 52 of Barry

“We can do that,” Kate answered.

“Are the pups doing okay?” Barry asked as he filled a travel mug with coffee.

“They’re fine. Mitzi is a good patient, and Honey is a sweetheart. I’ll bring them by tonight.”

“No, I can stop on my way in from the ranch and pick them up and give you a check.” Barry added some sugar and cream to his coffee.

“No, there’s no charge,” Kate said. “It made me feel good that I could do something while everyone else was out looking for you.”

Kathy blinked and looked between the three people in the room. “Everyone else?”

“Ken organized search parties. The fact that that madman took you ran through the party faster than a wildfire. So, at daybreak, we were all at the diner, and Ken broke everyone into search parties. We all met back at the diner when we got the call that you’d been found. Seems one of the Marshall groups found you. We didn’t search that area because they had it covered.” Edna took a bite of her cinnamon roll.

Barry narrowed his eyes. “How did the party find out?”

“Oh, that was me,” Edna said. “I saw that Kate and Tegan weren’t at the party. I walked over to her office at the stockyard. I heard them talking.” Edna shrugged. “It wasn’t right to not tell everyone. They all love Kathy. Even Chester and Delbert showed up to help.”

“I bet Ken loved that.” Barry rolled his shoulders.

“Didn’t seem to mind,” Edna said. “But it was hard to tell. His face was swollen. He broke his nose, and his eyes were all black and blue. He wouldn’t say how it happened. We figured he tangled with someone during a traffic stop. You know how he won’t talk about work.” Edna waved her hand. “Thinks we can’t keep a secret.”

Kathy felt herself smile, wincing when the bruising complained, but then she started to laugh. Kate and Barry joined in. Edna looked up, confused. Then a smile spread across her face, too. “Okay, okay, I see the humor.” Shetook a drink of her coffee before she pointed to Kathy’s plate. “You should eat.”

“You should,” Barry said and walked across the kitchen to kiss her. “I’ll see you tonight.”

She smiled up at him. “Bye. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” He kissed her like no one else was in the room, taking her breath away.

Edna sighed. “Young love. Nothing like it.”

Kate hummed in agreement. “Nothing.”

Barry walked out of the kitchen, and Edna leaned forward. “When are you two getting married? Please tell me it’ll be a church wedding. We haven’t had a big wedding at the church in a long time.”

Kathy chuckled. “He hasn’t asked me, and you’re not allowed to poke him about that. My parents are doing a great job at that.”

“How so?” Kate asked.

“Mom said Dad offered him a percentage of the profits to come work on their place.”

“He accepted, right?” Edna asked before she took a bite of her roll.

“No.” Kathy shook her head.

“What? Why not?” Kate asked.

“He’s getting a medical retirement from the military. He told Dad to take whatever he’d pay him and put it into an account for our kids or me.” She could feel her face heat.

“Aww.” Edna put her hand to her chest. “I knew he was the sweetest man.”

Kate laughed. “When was that, Edna?”

Edna made a face at Kate. “Always. I can tell these things. And since our Kathy here was enamored with him, I knew he had a good heart. But enough about that. What happened to you? The bruises tell me he hurt you. Who was he? Why did he do it? Is it true a rattlesnake bit you?”

Kate leaned forward. “Edna! You promised.”

“Psssh, I promised I wouldn’t push her. I just asked questions!”