Chapter Six
T HE F OURTH OF July kicked off with Katie having a slight hangover and being fifteen minutes late to help set up the craft fair tents. She was now on her third cup of coffee, and the dress she’d picked out for the Canyon Queen float still wasn’t looking better. She’d picked it up off the rack at an after-prom sale, and now that she had it on, she looked like one of those women who tried too hard to look young and wished she’d gone with something less juvenile. It was too late now. But the poufy strapless gown in an iridescent teal did make her eyes seem bluer, and made her purple streaks more noticeable, as they fell down around her shoulders in thick ringlets.
She’d brought a bag with a change of clothes and her makeup for later, and slipped on the cute, simple black heels she’d bought at Payless.
As she slid the tiara on top of her head, it took her back to her first Little Miss Magic Valley Pageant, when she’d been barely five. Her mother had loved to do her hair in stylish up-dos and bought the puffiest princess dresses for her, telling her the pageants would give her grace, poise, and confidence. She hadn’t minded really, although she had wanted to stop once she’d turned twenty-one, feeling too old to prance around singing Patsy Cline or answer ridiculous questions about where she saw herself in five years.
But she’d continued to do them for her mother’s sake until she was too sick to go with her, and when she’d died, Katie had assumed her pageant days were over. But Jimmy had bugged her and bugged her until finally last year she’d done the Canyon Queen Pageant one last time. When she’d won, he’d paraded her around afterward like a prized pig at auction and she’d felt like an idiot. Now here she was, about to get up on a float covered in cotton and streamers, in a huge, puffy taffeta skirt the color of fake seaweed. Every year the Canyon Queen gave her title to the next winner, and even though the pageant was for ages fifteen to thirty, most of the contestants weren’t over twenty-five. She’d be glad to never have to live through this sort of thing ever again, but the thought of standing up there and being compared to all the younger women competing ... well, it just sucked getting old.
She walked out of the bathroom reluctantly and heard a wolf whistle from behind her.
“Whoo-ee, you clean up pretty.”
Turning, she found Chase leaning against the stone wall of the outbuilding, his smile neither teasing nor mean. She felt less awkward and picked up her skirt like a princess, curtsying. “So, you like?”
He pushed off the wall and walked toward her, inspecting her dress. “Oh yeah, I like. Reminds me of this fantasy I used to have about hooking up with the prom queen.”
She grabbed him and laughed. “Stop it. You’re going around me like a vulture over carrion.”
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pretended to look hurt. “Now that isn’t very nice.”
Katie was suddenly aware of the people around them, talking quietly, and said, “We shouldn’t do this here.”
He dropped his arms and gave her a blank look. “Do what? Tease? Flirt?”
She felt like a jerk and said, “What about the rules? I’m sorry, I just thought we had decided casual. To me, casual means no public displays ...”
“Hey, don’t sweat it. I’ll see you after the parade,” he said.
“Wait ...” But he was already walking away, without even looking back. Had she really hurt his feelings? It certainly hadn’t felt good on her end to have him just go marching off in the middle of their conversation.
Mrs. Andrews broke her trance by yelling, “Come on, Canyon Queen, get a move on! You are the highlight of this parade!”
Following her, Katie hurried to get on the fluffy float, and was greeted by a group of giggling teenagers and young women, all hoping to be the next Canyon Queen. They stood along the sides, sacks of candy in their hands, as Katie climbed up to the big throne and sat down. She kept thinking about Chase’s reaction to her PDA protest. They had said they would keep things casual, but somehow they’d been caught kissing in public twice. If she openly kissed him in the middle of a town event, it would be ...
Well, people would think they were serious about each other.
The parade started, and she waved while the girls on the float tossed candy to the crowd. Her eyes scanned the faces for Chase, but she didn’t see him. By the time the monstrosity was over, all she wanted to do was find him and apologize. But first she needed to make sure the booth for her salon was set up and ready to go.
She went back to the bathroom to change and Mrs. Andrews came in right behind her. “Oh Katie, that was wonderful. The parade went off without a hitch. Now don’t forget to be at the booth at three for your kissing shift!”
As the woman left, Katie found herself muttering, “Yeah, I know when my shift is. I organized the damn thing.”
Too bad Mrs. Andrews hadn’t heard her, rushing from the bathroom like her skirt was on fire. The woman was like a hurricane: fast and emotionally destructive.
Katie changed into her new white halter, jean skirt, and cowboy boots, and hoped Chase would love the top, which tied behind her neck, and once across her back with thin shoe lace straps, leaving most of her back bare. Another sexy and adorable buy from Sweet Tarts. She left the bathroom to make sure everything was set for the fair. After that was done, she would find Chase.
Like every other business in Rock Canyon, K.C.’s Salon had a booth, and all the employees were taking shifts. They had set up a ring toss where people could win little sample bags of products or free haircut coupons, and a table was covered with products and accessories for sale. Katie’s shift was from twelve to two, and then the kissing booth at three.
It was eleven thirty when she headed toward Chase’s booth. Katie saw him sitting down, putting a henna tattoo on Kirsten Winters, and felt a stirring of jealousy. Kirsten was very pretty and one of those girls who would do anything to get a man’s attention.
She almost kept walking, but he looked up and saw her, his gray eyes dark. He was just so damn beautiful, she couldn’t look away from him.
He patted Kirsten and said something to her with a smile. She stood up with a smile, handed him a few bills and said hello to Katie as she passed. Katie liked Kirsten, had been doing her hair for years, but she didn’t like the invitation in her eyes when she’d looked at Chase. After one last wave, she walked her cute size-two butt away with an exaggerated sway of her hips.
Katie raised her eyebrow at Chase and said, “Guess I’m not the only one who noticed you, huh?”
He shrugged. “She’s not my type.”
“Since when is cute, blond, and perky not every guy’s type?” she said.
He gave her a small smile. “I have cute, perky, and blond. Well, mostly blond.”
A warm feeling spread through her chest. Stepping into his booth to stand in front of him, she said, “About before ... I’m sorry. I wanted to kiss you, it’s just we said casual, and I’ve never done this before, so ...”
He pulled her into his body and cupped her face, kissing her hard. When he finally let her up for air, it was to whisper, “I’ve been waiting to do that since last night.”
Katie realized that little things Chase did or said were starting to make her forget. Forget about her rules and that they weren’t supposed to be serious. If she didn’t stop melting every time he said something sweet, she was going to forget that he wasn’t the type of guy you lost your heart to.
Needing to get off the dangerous track her thoughts were taking, she said, “Well, I’m glad you did, because I’m going to be thinking of that while I’m being kissed by every toad in town. Blech.”
He lost his smile. “You signed up for the kissing booth?”
She blinked at the deep growl in his voice and said, “I’m the current Canyon Queen, I have to take a turn. It’s only a half hour.”
His scowl didn’t lift, and she kissed him on his frowny mouth. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
Running his hands over her bare back, he said, “No, I’m just going to have to sterilize your mouth before I kiss you again.”
“Well, if I’m that distasteful ...” she said, playfully trying to pull away.
He leaned down to kiss her, but she turned her head away and all he caught was her cheek. Next he grazed the little spot below her ear, leaving invisible heat marks long after his mouth was gone. “I was only kidding, Firecracker. I’d kiss you if you ate dog shit and barfed fish guts.”
Her mouth twitched as she tried not to laugh, coughing instead. “You would not, and that is disgusting.”
Laughing, he said, “But it’s true. I love kissing you. In fact, I think it may just be my new favorite hobby.” He moved his head as if he was coming at her from the right and when she turned away, he caught her mouth from the left. She laughed against his lips; she couldn’t help it.
“Ahem!” They broke apart to look at a very disapproving Mrs. Andrews, who snapped, “Katie, I need your assistance, please.”
Katie started to pull away and follow Mrs. Andrews obediently, but at the last minute she went back for one more quick kiss. Forget her rules. Forget other people’s opinions. She liked kissing, flirting, and just being with Chase. She didn’t have to explain their relationship or their lack of serious intentions. She could loosen the reins and let go.
Quickly, before the older woman had a coronary, she broke off the kiss and caught up with her. She looked back at Chase over her shoulder for a moment, and he blew her a kiss. Warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the sun or the embarrassment of being caught kissing a man she wasn’t really dating, and had everything to do with happiness. She was happy for the first time in—if she was being honest—years.
And anyone who had a problem with that ... well, New Katie would just tell them to go to hell.
T HE K.C.’ S S ALON booth was hopping and Katie was so relieved when two o’clock came around, she nearly ran to get away from it. She grabbed an elephant ear pastry and snacked on it as she explored the different booths, slowly making her way over to see Becca’s. The fact that it was next door to Chase’s was a happy coincidence that in no way influenced her. She saw Steph snooping around Becca’s goods, walked up behind her grinning, and yelled, “Boo!”
Steph jumped and said, “You’re a dumb ass.”
“So what are you buying?” Katie asked, eyeing the pile of clothes in her arms.
“Everything in my size.” Steph grabbed a cute tank top with little pink butterflies on it as if it might disappear at any moment.
Becca laughed from inside the booth and asked, “Do you just want me to make you a bag back here so you don’t have to hold on to all that?”
Steph nodded vigorously, handing her load off to Becca. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you ,” Becca said, smiling.
“Jared is going to murder you,” Katie said.
“I make money too, and I haven’t spent very much this month,” Steph said, reaching to rip off a part of Katie’s elephant ear.
“Thief!” Katie laughed, holding her food away from Steph.
“Come on, you’ll never finish that thing by yourself,” Steph said.
Katie ripped the ear in half and handed her some more. “Mooch.”
“Thanks, sugar mama,” Steph said, giving her a sugary kiss.
Laughing, Katie walked around the large table display of modest lingerie and trinkets, her gaze landed on several pairs of fuzzy handcuffs.
Katie shoved the last bite of the buttery pastry in her mouth, wiped her hands on a napkin, and pointed to the pink pair. “Becca, I want these. Can you set them aside for me?”
Steph made a howling noise, and Becca grabbed the handcuffs, teasing, “Ooooh, Chase is going to be surprised.”
Katie blushed and would have given a very smart comeback if she hadn’t noticed a cute straw cowboy hat with little purple and white charm beads on it. She reached out and picked it up by the brim at the same time that a high, whiny voice said, “Excuse me, but I saw it first.”
Katie turned to face a short blond woman with a sour-lemon expression on her face. She looked familiar, but Katie couldn’t place her immediately. Until she saw Jimmy standing next to her.
Selena. Jimmy’s fiancée.
Katie froze as Jimmy’s wide eyes traveled up and down her body. “Katie?”
“Is there a problem here?” Becca asked.
Selena looked between Katie and Jimmy, completely ignoring Becca. “Katie, your ex?”
It wasn’t like they’d never seen each other before, so why Selena was acting like she didn’t know her was beyond Katie. In fact, she was pretty sure she had gone with Steph a couple of times in high school when she’d babysat for Selena and her brother Kyle. Selena had gone off to Boise State after her graduation five years ago and hadn’t come back until last year, right before Jimmy left. They had hardly seen each other since Selena was a snotty teenager walking around with her nose in the air like her daddy had never shoveled cow manure. And she obviously hadn’t matured with age.
Katie realized she was still gripping the side of the cowboy hat and said, “Can you please let go of my hat?”
Selena yipped like a little dog. “You mean my hat.”
“No, you little bitch, she means her hat,” Steph said, coming up beside her.
“Who are you calling a bitch?” Selena said loudly.
“You, Selena, and considering what a little brat you used to be, I can’t believe you haven’t heard the term lately,” Steph said, bristling like an angry dog.
Katie wasn’t really listening to Steph and Selena bait each other. She couldn’t look away from Jimmy, whose chocolate-brown eyes had once been able to melt her with a glance, and she just felt humiliated all over again. Fighting over a stupid hat with an obnoxious, high-pitched, tramp. She almost let go of it, but Becca stepped in.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry, but I’ve had that hat on hold for Katie for a week,” she said in a friendly but firm tone. Katie wanted to kiss her.
Selena glared at Steph and Katie, whining, “But there’s no hold sign on it.”
Becca reached out and removed the younger woman’s groping fingers. “Come look over here; there are some really cute ones on this side too.”
Selena hesitated, looking at Katie with a sour, pinched look. “Honey bear, are you coming?”
Katie wanted to gag at the sickly-sweet tone. Jimmy kept staring at her like she had horns and a tail, even while addressing his fiancée. “I’ll be right there, sweetie pie, I just want to talk to Katie for a minute.”
The little witch actually pouted and leaned up to kiss Jimmy, right in front of her. Someone grabbed Katie’s hand, probably Steph, trying to comfort her, but it wasn’t that she was jealous of Jimmy; Selena could have him. It was that they both seemed to be oblivious to everyone else’s feelings but their own. They were perfect for each other, that was for sure.
Selena walked to the other side of the stand, completely ignoring them, and Katie got the message loud and clear. Whatever Jimmy had said about her to Selena, she obviously didn’t see Katie as a threat.
“You look great. Different,” he said.
“And you look like the same old stupid asshole you’ve always been, genius,” Steph said.
Jimmy didn’t even flinch. “Nice to see you too, Steph. Can I talk to Katie, please?”
“Not after the way you treated her, you ...”
“Steph, it’s okay. I’m fine,” Katie said.
Steph kept glaring at Jimmy. “Are you sure? ’Cause you don’t have to talk to him. In fact, I can probably have his ass thrown out, if you so desire.”
“Steph ...”
“Fine. I need to go check on my husband anyway, but in case I wasn’t clear with my RSVP card, there is no way in hell I would go to your wedding,” Steph said, before giving Katie a hug and whispering, “I’m coming back in a few minutes with reinforcements.”
Shaking her head, Katie watched Steph go for a minute before facing Jimmy again. Her gaze met his, and she noticed how mild his eyes were. Steph’s obvious hatred hadn’t fazed him. But what really got under her skin was that he acted like he had no idea that seeing him here, with the woman he had left her for, would tear her up inside.
“What are you doing here?” she asked a little accusingly.
He looked defensive, something he always did when he knew he was wrong, and said, “This is my hometown. I have a right to be here.”
Her first reaction was to suck down her fury and be nice, keep the peace.
But that was the old Katie. The new Katie didn’t let anyone treat her like she didn’t matter.
And Jimmy was in for seven years of her unfiltered temper.
“Fine. Stay and have a good time. Just stay away from me.” She said it in a cold tone and was pleased when he looked taken aback again.
Which lasted all of three seconds before his face turned red and he snapped, “Oh, real mature, Katie. I thought after six years together you could ...”
Katie exploded. “We were together for almost seven, jerk, when you started having private peekaboo parties with little Miss DD over there. I don’t owe you anything. And how dare you send me a wedding invitation like we’re just old friends? We’re not friends; we’re not anything anymore, Jimmy.”
Katie realized she had drawn a crowd with her outburst, and she would have turned to run if she hadn’t seen Chase come out of his booth, his expression concerned. He reached her side swiftly, slipping his arm around her waist and said, “Hey, Firecracker, was that you I heard yelling?”
Jimmy’s face darkened. “Who is this clown?”
Katie was happy to see Chase and kept her gaze on him while she made introductions. “Jimmy, this is Chase. Chase, this is my ex.”
Chase didn’t even look at Jimmy, just kissed her forehead and said, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“Hey, man, we were having a conversation,” Jimmy said.
Selena came up alongside Jimmy and slipped her arm through his. “Everything okay, honey bear?”
Jimmy mumbled something Katie couldn’t hear as Chase led her past them.
“Where are we going? What about your booth?” she asked.
“Eric’s watching it for me. Thought you might need to go somewhere quiet to cool off.” Chase squeezed her waist and she felt better just having him near.
“Can you believe he just acted like it was no big deal? Like we had just been classmates or something?”
He took her around the side of the bathrooms and leaned back against the stone building. “I told you he was a douche.”
“Serious douche,” she agreed.
“King of the douche nerds.”
She gave a little laugh and looked at her cell phone. “Ugh, I have to be at the kissing booth in thirty minutes.”
He grinned and set her new hat on top of her head, to her surprise. She had forgotten she was still gripping it. Bending his head down under the brim, he waggled his eyebrows and asked, “Don’t suppose you want to practice a little?”
She laughed as she leaned against him, her anger ebbing away as they kissed. Chase made her laugh. Made her feel good about herself. And both of those things were going to become very addicting.
C HASE DIDN’T WANT to let Katie go. They leaned against the concrete building, oblivious to the titters and whispers. Eventually, Chase had been the one to pull back, knowing if he made her late, there’d be hell to pay. Katie seemed to be one of those rare souls who kept her word.
It was an admirable quality in most instances, but being punctual so she could kiss a bunch of other dudes was not one of them.
“We better get going if you don’t want to be late.”
She looked disappointed, but said, “Yeah, you’re right. Everyone’s going to want to kiss the soon-to-be former Canyon Queen.”
He knew she was making a joke out of it, but he didn’t smile. He didn’t want anyone else getting a taste of Katie’s sweet lips.
Walking her to the booth, Chase said hi to Gracie McAllister, who owned The Local Bean Coffee Shop and currently occupied the kissing booth. The petite blonde gave one of the Rock Canyon High School football players a little kiss and waved him off. “That’s it, Jake, move on.”
The next kid moved up and said, “Ready to rock my world?”
“No, Tommy, you’re too young for me to rock.” Peck. “Okay, shoo.”
Just watching it, putting Katie in Gracie’s place, made Chase growl. “I’m right next door.”
Katie smiled up at him so sweetly it hurt his chest and he wasn’t sure why. He walked back into his booth and said to Eric, “Thanks for watching my booth.”
Eric grinned. “Anytime, buddy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see if I can get in a last-minute kiss with Miss Gracie Lou.”
Chase laughed. It was a well-known fact that Eric had been carrying a big, flaming torch for Gracie since he had carried her out of the Valentine’s Day singles’ auction over his shoulder. No one knew what had happened that night and neither of them had talked about it, but Eric hadn’t stopped looking for ways to antagonize Gracie ever since. The two acted like arch-nemeses in public, but sometimes Chase wondered if they didn’t have something going on they didn’t want anyone to know about.
Like you and Katie?
Chase kept checking his watch until it reached three and Gracie’s voice pealed out over the megaphone. “Changing of the lips! Changing of the lips! Come give your Canyon Queen, Miss Katie Connors, a smooch! Only a dollar!”
Chase glared when he saw the kid who had delivered their pizza walk by and turn right.
It was just a fund-raiser. No big deal. What did he care who she kissed?
A line started forming past the front of his booth and Chase was grinding his teeth and clenching his fists after five minutes. When the two guys he’d beat playing pool on Monday got in line, he couldn’t stand it anymore.
Opening his lockbox, he pulled out three hundred dollars. When he saw Gracie stomp by angrily, Eric close on her heels, Chase called, “Eric, can you watch my booth again?”
Eric stopped, his attention moving back and forth between Chase and Gracie, getting further away from him. “I’m kind of busy, man.”
“I’ll owe you one,” Chase said.
Eric stared off after his prey, shrugged, and made his way over to the Jagged Rock booth. “Where are you off to now?”
Chase didn’t answer as he rounded the corner toward the kissing booth, telling himself he wasn’t interfering with the kissing booth out of jealousy. But as his eyes locked on Katie, smiling beautifully at the current man leaned down to kiss her, Chase knew it was a lie.
K ATIE GAVE C ARL Anderson a light peck and pulled back quickly. “There you go.”
Carl looked disappointed. “Man, that’s it?”
Katie saw Chase walking past the other guys in line, his expression dark, and her heartbeat sped up. “Yep, that’s it, Carl. Scoot.”
Carl left grumbling and Chase pushed the next guy out of the way. Loud curses and protests ensued from the men in line. He handed Katie a stack of bills. “I’d like to buy three hundred dollars’ worth of kisses.”
Katie’s mouth dropped open as Chase came around to the inside of the kissing booth and yelled, “Sorry, boys, these lips are reserved!”
The men grumbled as Katie finally got her bearings. “Are you crazy? Everybody’s going to be talking about this.”
He kissed her and she grabbed his arms to hold on. When he pulled back, he was grinning. “Only 299 more to go.”
She blinked at him. “You can’t kiss me 299 times out here. Mrs. Andrews is already giving me dirty looks, and people are going to say ...”
He kissed her again. “Now it’s 298. People are going to say what they want. So what? We can give them something to talk about, and I don’t have to imagine you kissing a bunch of other guys.”
It was pretty much what she’d told herself earlier, but the little part of her that hated being the object of any gossip was protesting in her brain. She didn’t argue anymore, though, as he kissed her again and again. And when her time in the kissing booth was up, he still had 137 kisses to go.
C HASE ONLY HAD an hour and a half left at his booth and Katie sat with him the whole time, watching him work or just smiling when he stole another kiss.
When the fair ended, she helped him gather his supplies, fold down the rental tent, and carry the sample binders and equipment out to the Blazer. “No chopper today?”
He slammed the back of the car and came around to face her. Putting his hands against the Blazer on either side of her head, he said, “Nope. Can’t carry all that stuff on the back of a motorcycle.” He kissed her again. “I think that’s 118.”
“You can stop counting now.”
His mouth caught the last bit of her sentence. “That would be 117. No, because I want to make sure I get my money’s worth.”
Wrapping her arms around his waist, she asked, “Wanna see something?”
“Sure,” he said, pretending to look down her shirt.
“Let’s go then,” she said, ducking out from under his arm.
“Where are we going?”
Her look was flirtatious. “You’ll see,” she said, climbing into the passenger seat.
Opening up the door to the SUV, he hopped behind the wheel. “All right, where am I going?”
“Head out to Old Mill Road. Those clouds look pretty dark, but we won’t be long. I need to be back at the community center by six. Just enough time to show you my favorite spot,” she said.
“Oh yeah? I can’t wait to see where sweet Katie spent her youth.” He started the Blazer and said, “I’ll have you back on time. Wouldn’t want to miss the swimsuit competition.” He moved just in time to avoid a slap on the arm and added, “Now, now, temper, temper.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and grinned and Chase put the Blazer into gear. He drove away from town toward the farms until she told him to take a dirt road into the Snake River Canyon. The road was barely one lane, with no guardrail along the edge, and it made him a little nervous. He had never been comfortable with heights, even as a kid. Looking over the edge of a cliff was something he avoided, even in a car.
As he descended into the canyon, she pointed. “Follow the road back there. Eventually there will be nowhere left to go and we’ll just park.”
He did what she said, winding back through tall weeds and bushes until the road dead-ended in a small circle. He put the car into park and shut the engine off. Turning to her, he asked, “So now what?”
Katie leaned over and kissed him hard and fast. Before he could grab her back, she opened her door and hopped out. “Now we walk.”
“Are we going to get shot for trespassing?” he asked, getting out of the Blazer and looking around for some hidden assailant.
Laughing, she headed onto a very narrow trail surrounded by tall bushes and grass. “I haven’t, but you never know. I’d be more worried about snakes.”
Chase stopped. He hated snakes, had always been a chicken shit around them. “Yeah, I’m not much of a hiker,” he called.
She stopped suddenly and walked back to him. Reaching out, she took hold of his hand and laced her fingers through his.
So much for not holding hands.
“Stay close, city boy, and just listen for the sound of a rattle. Like a chickchick bzzzz sound,” she said. “Oh, and watch for poison ivy.”
Looking around at the jungle of vegetation, he said, “What the hell does that look like?”
She pointed to a plant about a foot from his leg and he pictured his death by poisonous snakes and oozing sores.
Chase let her lead him by the hand like a child, checking around his feet for anything slithery. Every once in a while he’d hear something scurry into the bushes, making him jump. Katie would squeeze his hand and give him a smile until he started to relax.
Suddenly, Katie stopped, leaned up to give him a kiss, and whispered, “That’s 115.”
After that he figured a little oozing death was worth it if it meant he could kiss her 114 more times.