Chapter 23 — The Kitten

Tess wasn’t ready to face Sawyer. A feeling of remorse tugged at her conscience once her heels crossed the threshold. What had she done? One weekend in New York had turned her life upside down. She felt empty; the cabin felt empty. Where was Buddy? Sawyer had kept him. She could not stand the silence for another minute.

She carried her suitcase upstairs and examined herself in the mirror. Her clothes looked rumpled. She smoothed her shirt, but like her mood, the wrinkles didn’t come out. The expensive clothes that Richard had sent no longer felt right.

“Oh hell,” she said, unbuttoning the shirt and throwing it to the floor. Tess tore off the black slacks and looked at the heap on the floor. Then she stepped into a pair of old faded blue jeans and put on a plaid shirt. She was feeling like her old self again.

Tess picked up the pile of clothes and tossed them in the closet. She did a double-take when a furry little head popped out of the closet. Tess was both shocked and amused. The kitten was just a tiny ball of fur, probably just weaned from its mother. Tess stood with her hands on her hips, shaking her head, as the kitten weaved in and out of her legs, mewing.

“Are you hungry?” Tess asked. “Do you want a saucer of milk?”

The kitten mewed again, and Tess swept the yellow striped ball up into her arms, and headed for the kitchen.

“Let’s go see what we can find. You’re cute, but I don’t know what Buddy will think about you.” Just as she set the saucer of milk down, she heard the door open. Buddy ran in, stopping short when he saw the kitten. Sawyer stood behind him with a broad smile on his face.

“Would you know anything about this, Sawyer Rhodes?” Tess said, raising her brows, feigning anger.

Sawyer looked sheepish. “The neighbor’s cat had kittens. They’re good mousers. He gave you the pick of the litter.”

Tess folded her arms, watching Buddy as he cautiously sniffed the kitten.

“Well, I guess she can stay if she and Buddy can get along,”

“What do you say, Buddy? Can he stay?” Sawyer asked as he closed the distance between them.

Tess held her breath knowing Sawyer was expecting a greeting: a hug and kiss.

He started to embrace her and stopped.

Tension filled the air.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his dark eyes full of concern. “You don’t like the kitten?”

“Not that,” Tess said, moving away. “Something came up about your past while I was away. I have concerns.”

Sawyer frowned. “What is it?”

“Did you kill a man, Sawyer?” Tess asked bluntly, hoping with all of her heart that Sawyer would say it wasn’t true. She wanted it to be a lie. It had to be a lie.

“Yes, I did.” Sawyer said, unflinching. “It was a long time ago. I wasn’t convicted.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Tess exclaimed. “For God’s sake, Sawyer, why?”

“I was going to tell you when the time was right,” Sawyer said. “I was afraid if I told you it would be over.”

Tess put her head in her hands. It was a shock hearing him say straight out that he’d killed a man. There was no regret in his voice. Her knees were going out from under her; she put her elbows on the counter and leaned forward. And then she began to sob—gut-wrenching sobs. How could this be happening to her? Her body shook uncontrollably. She’d done the same thing her mother had done: picked the wrong man. Not just any man—she’d picked a murderer.

She heard the kitten mewing. And Buddy was whining.

She lifted her head from the counter, not knowing what she was going to do or say. Maybe if he told her what had happened, everything would be okay. Perhaps it was an accident. Sawyer would never hurt anyone. He wouldn’t. She looked around. Sawyer was gone. She ran outside and saw the SUV fade away into the distance.

“Sawyer,” she screamed, running blindly down the lane. Running as fast as she could, everything a blur as the tears kept coming, she stumbled and fell. She lay in the dirt, pounding the hard ground, tears flowing. It was Buddy’s whining that made pull herself up. She pulled herself up to a sitting position, wrapped her arms around her knees, and looked up into the sky.

Frenetic, half laughing and half crying, shaking uncontrollably, Tess cried out, “My God, what did I do? I fell in love with a murderer. And even though I know what he did. I love him. I must be out of my mind.”