ankle-high grass. Overhead, a family of bluejays flitted through the pines, scolding angrily.
A gentle wind ruffled the surface of the lake, sending tiny wavelets lapping against the shore. Sunlight sparkled on the rippled water like thousands of glittering diamonds. Far from shore a lone sailboat leaned before the wind, its sail billowed and full, a taut red triangle against the blue of lake and sky. Katy propped her elbows on the picnic table and nibbled on her cheeseburger, watching the scene abstractedly.
It was pure cowardice, running away from Trace like this, but she didn't care. She wasn't ready to face the confrontation that had to come. First she had to talk to her father. He would make Trace understand that she wasn't interested, that he was wasting his time. He had to.
There had been no opportunity to speak to her father that morning however. He had come staggering in at dawn, exhausted by his night-long vigil at the stables. After a mumbled greeting he had fallen into bed and, within minutes, had sunk into a deep sleep. His heavy, rumbling snore had followed her as she tiptoed out of the house.
Katy's musings were interrupted by the arrival of a mother duck. A slow smile curved her mouth as she watched the haughty, feathered female waddle imperiously toward the lake, emitting a constant stream of querulous quacks and trailing behind her a wavering line of downy yellow ducklings. As she led her entourage by the table, she eyed Katy as though daring her to move and proceeded toward her destination at the same majestic pace. Reaching the lake, she waded a few feet into the shallows, then lowered her body with a plopping splash and glided gracefully away. One after the other, the bits of yellow fluff followed suit, paddling effortlessly in their mother's wake.
Katy drank the last of her Coke and tossed the cup in the trash barrel, then picked up the remainder of her cheeseburger and wandered down to the shore. She laughed as she watched the mother duck dive in search of food, leaving only her feathered rump sticking out of the water, straight up in the air. Clicking her tongue, Katy tore off small pieces of bun and tossed them into the water. Immediately the ducks snapped up the crumbs of bread eagerly and when they were gone, swam toward the shore and audaciously demanded more. Katy laughed aloud and obliged. She watched them scrabbling after the scattered tidbits with a certain amount of envy, thinking wistfully how uncomplicated their lives were compared to hers.
When the bun was gone, Katy wandered along the shore. The ducks followed hopefully for a while, then turned back in disgust when it became apparent there would be no more handouts. The breeze off the lake rustled the pine needles overhead as Katy strolled aimlessly along. She couldn't understand why Trace upset her so, but he did. After ail, he couldn't force her into a relationship she didn't want. Several men had made a dead set at her before, and she had simply ignored them. So why couldn't she ignore Trace? The question was unanswerable, but one thing she knew for certain. Trace affected her like no other man ever had, and that alone frightened her. She didn't like the sensations he aroused—the fluttering in the pit of her stomach; the slow, heavy thud of her heart; the weak, watery feeling that threatened to buckle her knees. Troubled, Katy trudged on, wrestling with the problem for almost an hour before finally turning back.
It was only a little after three when she climbed into the car and headed toward Tyler, much too early to go home. The only other place she could think of to go was Jane and Frank's.
❧
It wasn't until she had already rung the Cawleys' doorbell that the first pangs of doubt began to nag at her. Jane was as sharp as a tack. Katy wasn't in the habit of dropping by on the weekends, and Jane was bound to wonder why she had today. The bell pealed inside the house several times without any answer, and feeling something akin
A gentle wind ruffled the surface of the lake, sending tiny wavelets lapping against the shore. Sunlight sparkled on the rippled water like thousands of glittering diamonds. Far from shore a lone sailboat leaned before the wind, its sail billowed and full, a taut red triangle against the blue of lake and sky. Katy propped her elbows on the picnic table and nibbled on her cheeseburger, watching the scene abstractedly.
It was pure cowardice, running away from Trace like this, but she didn't care. She wasn't ready to face the confrontation that had to come. First she had to talk to her father. He would make Trace understand that she wasn't interested, that he was wasting his time. He had to.
There had been no opportunity to speak to her father that morning however. He had come staggering in at dawn, exhausted by his night-long vigil at the stables. After a mumbled greeting he had fallen into bed and, within minutes, had sunk into a deep sleep. His heavy, rumbling snore had followed her as she tiptoed out of the house.
Katy's musings were interrupted by the arrival of a mother duck. A slow smile curved her mouth as she watched the haughty, feathered female waddle imperiously toward the lake, emitting a constant stream of querulous quacks and trailing behind her a wavering line of downy yellow ducklings. As she led her entourage by the table, she eyed Katy as though daring her to move and proceeded toward her destination at the same majestic pace. Reaching the lake, she waded a few feet into the shallows, then lowered her body with a plopping splash and glided gracefully away. One after the other, the bits of yellow fluff followed suit, paddling effortlessly in their mother's wake.
Katy drank the last of her Coke and tossed the cup in the trash barrel, then picked up the remainder of her cheeseburger and wandered down to the shore. She laughed as she watched the mother duck dive in search of food, leaving only her feathered rump sticking out of the water, straight up in the air. Clicking her tongue, Katy tore off small pieces of bun and tossed them into the water. Immediately the ducks snapped up the crumbs of bread eagerly and when they were gone, swam toward the shore and audaciously demanded more. Katy laughed aloud and obliged. She watched them scrabbling after the scattered tidbits with a certain amount of envy, thinking wistfully how uncomplicated their lives were compared to hers.
When the bun was gone, Katy wandered along the shore. The ducks followed hopefully for a while, then turned back in disgust when it became apparent there would be no more handouts. The breeze off the lake rustled the pine needles overhead as Katy strolled aimlessly along. She couldn't understand why Trace upset her so, but he did. After ail, he couldn't force her into a relationship she didn't want. Several men had made a dead set at her before, and she had simply ignored them. So why couldn't she ignore Trace? The question was unanswerable, but one thing she knew for certain. Trace affected her like no other man ever had, and that alone frightened her. She didn't like the sensations he aroused—the fluttering in the pit of her stomach; the slow, heavy thud of her heart; the weak, watery feeling that threatened to buckle her knees. Troubled, Katy trudged on, wrestling with the problem for almost an hour before finally turning back.
It was only a little after three when she climbed into the car and headed toward Tyler, much too early to go home. The only other place she could think of to go was Jane and Frank's.
❧
It wasn't until she had already rung the Cawleys' doorbell that the first pangs of doubt began to nag at her. Jane was as sharp as a tack. Katy wasn't in the habit of dropping by on the weekends, and Jane was bound to wonder why she had today. The bell pealed inside the house several times without any answer, and feeling something akin
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