Page 7 of Promise Me, Katie (Bennett Sisters #1)

As weeks passed, life settled back into a rhythm for Katherine. No more talk from Beth Ann about Frank and Bella Vaughn moving or Bella’s new replacement. No more probing questions from her mother. And thank God, no more talk about manicures or makeovers from Maddie.

Along with her busy days came more peaceful nights, and Katherine continued to sleep better than she had in years. She even silenced her alarm one Sunday and slept in for the first time in a very long time.

Glancing at the clock, she was surprised to see how late it was. And despite a slight twinge of guilt that threatened to creep in, she had to smile. It felt good to get the extra rest she so desperately needed.

Rolling out of bed, she breathed in the fresh morning air from the open window, then went to the closet, reached beyond the side of black clothes, and pulled out the T-shirt and denim overalls she wore while working in the garden.

Dressed and downstairs, Katherine hurried through breakfast, devouring a muffin she’d brought home from the diner. She had her little Eden to get to, and with the clear blue sky and crisp morning air still awaiting her, she didn’t want to delay any longer.

But when she stepped outside, something caught her attention, and she turned to look at the house next door.

The blackberry canes that once crept along the top of the brick wall weren’t there anymore. And the clumps of moss that covered the expanse of the roof were also gone. Then, from where she stood, Katherine spotted the top of a newly assembled swing set.

Despite hoping the for sale sign out front, and the three bedrooms inside wouldn’t attract a family, it appeared by the pitched roof of the tiny wooden clubhouse, chains for swings, and a tall slide, that was exactly what it had done.

“Please, God no,” Katherine said, rushing back inside, headed for the phone. Her hands trembling as she dialed Kimberly Kendall’s number.

“Come on, Kimmie!” she pleaded after the second ring. “Pick up the damn phone!”

“Good morning, Kimberly Kendall speaking!” chimed the real estate agent when she answered the call. “How may I assist you?”

“Kimmie, it’s Katherine. What the hell is going on next door?”

“Oh, certainly… not a problem,” Kimmie said in her best business-like voice. “I can go over those details with you in just a moment. Could you please hold?”

Despite Kimberly’s attempt to cover the phone, Katherine heard her tell whoever she was with that she needed to step away and take the call. “Just another satisfied customer,” she added before asking her assistant to get some coffee and cookies for the “nice folks” while they waited.

By that time, Katherine was pacing her kitchen floor in a full-on panic. She wanted to reach through the phone and wring Kimmie’s neck.

Then after another brief pause, Kimberly’s real voice came through the receiver.

“Hey, girl! Sorry, I’ve been meaning to call you.

Things have been crazy around here. I’m at an open house right now, and I don’t know what’s going on, but you’d think we were giving these houses away for free.

My sales are literally through the roof right now. Not that I’m complaining, but—”

“Kimmie!” Katherine snapped, causing the agent to go silent. “I’m happy for you. Call me later and tell me all about it. But for now, I need to know what’s going on next door.”

“Oh… well, that’s easy. Someone bought the house.”

“I can see that. What do you know about the buyers?”

“Not much…” She paused, considering her next words. “He’s a cop. Total hottie and one tough negotiator. But Mark seems to like him.”

“A cop?” Katherine repeated, half expecting to hear it was the reporter Beth Ann had talked about.

“Yep. And, like I said, total hottie.” As Kimmie laughed, Katherine’s stomach twisted and turned. “Hey, ya know—”

“Don’t even go there,” Katherine stopped her. “I get enough of that crap from Beth Ann.”

Kimmie laughed again. “Well, you are single.”

“ Kimmie …” Katherine warned. “What else can you tell me?”

“Not much,” she sighed. “He was there most of the day yesterday, pressure washing the roof and cleaning up the backyard. I stopped by on my way through the neighborhood and couldn’t believe all the work he’d done.

He said he wanted to have the place cleaned up so he could build a swing set. Isn’t that just the sweetest?”

Just then, Katherine heard Kimmie’s assistant call out to her. “Excuse me, Mrs. Kendall, does the house come with the hot tub, or are the sellers taking it with them?”

“I’ll be right there!” Kimmie chimed in response.

“Look, I gotta go,” she whispered. “If I land an offer on this one, it’ll be my biggest commission ever. Cabo, here I come!”

“Kimmie, please. You gotta give me more than that.”

“Look, girlfriend, you’re right there. Go introduce yourself. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Serious eye candy,” Kimmie laughed. “Call me later and tell me how it goes. Bye! ”

Katherine’s hands shook as she returned the phone to its cradle.

Just knowing she had new neighbors, and they were bringing small children with them, was enough to make her body go numb. But going next door to introduce herself was out of the question. The mere thought of it made her stomach twist into knots.

With every step toward the door and back outside, Katherine’s feet felt like someone had swapped her gardening shoes for cement ones.

Go introduce yourself.

Kimmie said it like it was the most natural thing to do.

Maybe for Kimberly Kendall, real estate agent, major extrovert, and professional blabbermouth, but not for Katherine.

She didn’t have Kimmie’s ability to walk up to a complete stranger and start a conversation.

And certainly not with someone referred to as a hottie.

“You can do this,” Katherine whispered as her heart raced, and a paralyzing sensation overcame her. Her body felt heavy and light at the same time. “You’re a person. They’re a person. No different than a new customer at the diner.”

Despite the pep talk, Katherine’s eyes welled up with anxious tears when she stepped back outside, and her gaze automatically shifted to the top of the swing set. She hoped whoever was next door doing all that work had left.

“If you start crying now, you won’t stop,” she warned, hearing her own voice crack with emotion. Instinct told her to rush back inside and hide. But she knew she couldn’t give in. This fear was something she would have to overcome.

“You’re freaking yourself out for no reason,” she added, though it didn’t help to stop several loud sobs from slipping out, and she had to press her trembling hands to her mouth to silence herself.

Afraid someone might have heard, Katherine stopped to listen.

Straining to hear neighbors’ voices, children playing, lawnmowers running, or cars coming and going on the road out front, but there was nothing to indicate anyone was around.

With a sigh of relief, she wiped her eyes on a faded handkerchief and stuffed it back in her pocket.

She knew she was being irrational, but she couldn’t help it.

After a few calming breaths, she set out once again for the little red tool shed in the back corner of her yard. That’s when she heard a deep voice.

“Are you okay?”

Halting in fear, Katherine was sure the voice was directed her way, and she whirled around to scan her surroundings. But no one was there.

“Are you hurt?” came the same voice, this time closer and more clearly. That’s when Katherine realized it was coming from the opposite side of the brick wall. The same direction as the swing set.

“Do you need help?”

The tone of the stranger’s voice was filled with concern, and Katherine instinctively knew that whoever it was wouldn’t give up. She would have to say something.

“No—” As she tried to speak, her voice broke on the one syllable. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. “I’m fine!”

Then, without warning, a man’s face rose up from the other side of the long brick barrier, followed by a set of broad shoulders and two strong arms that came to rest on top of the wall.

Surprise and admirationcame the moment Katherine’s gaze focused on the man above her.

He was handsome in a rugged sort of way.

The dark whiskers of his five-o’clock shadow, pearly white smile, and bright blue eyes were a stunning contrast to his warm complexion.

His dark hair, cut short and tidy, was long enough to detect a bit of curl to it.

“Hello,” he said, peering down at Katherine with a wide grin and friendly wave of his hand as the deep, soothing resonance of his voice warmed the air around them.

“Hello,” Katherine responded, suddenly very aware of the difference between his natural good looks and her thrown-together-just-rolled-out-of-bed appearance.

“Whoa!” he said with a deep chuckle, swaying to one side before looking down at his feet to steady himself. “I don’t think plastic buckets were made for standing on.”

“Probably not.” Katherine blushed, imagining his lower half as strong and appealing as his upper half. From what she could see, he was solid, like a rugby player.

“So, you’re okay then?”

Craning his neck from the left to the right, he searched neighboring yards for someone before turning his attention back to Katherine.

“I thought for sure I heard someone crying.”

“Oh, totally,” Katherine blurted out, immediately embarrassed by her awkward response.

“I mean, I understand. I can see how you might have thought someonewascrying. Backyard injuries happen all the time. In fact, I just read an article that said approximately seventy-five people are killed and nearly twenty thousand injured every year on riding lawn mowers and garden tractors alone.”

“That’s a terrifying statistic.”

“Right?” Katherine felt her cheeks growing hotter by the minute. “Anyway, I was just about to do a little light gardening. And you can hardly consider a hand trowel to be a pain-inflicting weapon of mass destruction.”