Cain was surprised and pleased that Lucas wasn’t intimidated by him. In some perverse way, he was glad that Katie had a strong protector. “I do care.”
Lucas just shook his head in disgust. “Katie will be fine. She’s a strong lady.” Turning away, he went back into the hallway and got the next package. When they were all inside the apartment, he began to unwrap the canvases. “You don’t deserve her. You’re obviously not good enough for her.”
Cain’s reply was stark. “I know.”
“Well, for some reason Katie saw fit to love you, but there’s no accounting for taste.” Lucas continued his work.
Cain winced as the other man spoke bluntly. “You don’t mince words, do you?”
“Nope. Especially not when you were idiot enough to throw away the love of a good woman like Katie.” Lucas stopped his task for a moment and stood facing Cain. “Look, I don’t know you, but I do know Katie. She would never try to manipulate you or use you in any way. That’s not her style. Katie doesn’t play games. But she was devastated that you’d kept secrets from her.” Lucas stared hard at Cain as he finished. “From what I can see, you’re the one playing games with her.”
Cain had no defense against his words and said nothing as Lucas began lining up four paintings against the wall, one after another. He recognized Katie’s work immediately and was shocked to discover that he was the subject of all of them. A hiss of pain escaped him as he studied each of them in turn.
Lucas stood back, satisfied with his work. “Where’s her purse?”
Cain indicated the coat rack by the front door, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the paintings in front of him.
Lucas tucked Katie’s purse under his arm and turned to go, satisfied that he had fulfilled his part of the bargain. He glanced back at Cain, who was transfixed by Katie’s work. “If you can’t see the truth in those paintings, then you really are a fool.” On that final note, Lucas quietly left the apartment, leaving Cain to his own thoughts.
When the door closed behind Lucas, Cain fell to his knees in front of the paintings. It was like reading a story of their relationship. From the first one where he was nothing but a shadow in the dark, to the next one where he was partially visible on the street, and to the third one in which he was inviting her to share not only dinner, but his dark world with him.
But it was the final painting that moved him the most. He was lying in bed, but he was fully in the light. Katie had been brutally honest in her depiction of him. The patch on his eye, the scars on his face, neck, arm, and chest were all visible, but she had captured much more than that. Even at rest, the strength in his body, his sheer size was evident. The silky strands of his black hair were pushed back from his face. The gleam in his green eye was filled with male satisfaction as he held one hand out, beckoning to an unseen woman. The crisp white sheets next to him were rumpled, indicating that the woman had just risen and he was trying to entice her back to bed.
Then he noticed that the woman was in darkness. Katie had painted herself as a shadow fading into the darkness. She was succumbing to his darkness as she tried to guide him into her light, her love. How long he sat there and stared at the painting he didn’t know. It was only when Gabriel licked his face and whined that Cain discovered his cheek was wet. He hadn’t cried since he was a child.
Katie had painted a masterpiece of love. She was willing to let him go if he could not accept her love. No blame. No recriminations. All he sensed was a sadness that he was unable to reach out and take the love offered him.
He was a bloody fool. He had thought he was so clever, hiding himself from her. Thinking that she would not be able to accept him as he was. In truth, Lucas was right, he was a coward and an idiot. In seeking to protect himself, he had thrown away the very things he had been looking for all of his life— love and acceptance.
He may very well be a fool, but he also learned from his mistakes. Katie had met him more than halfway and now it was his turn to reach out to her if he had a chance of saving their relationship. He was gambling on the fact that she truly seemed to love him and he was ruthless enough to exploit that fact if it meant getting her back in his life.
Pushing himself to his feet, he took a moment to scratch Gabriel’s head and ear to reassure the dog that everything was all right. Gabriel continued to hover close to him, following him up and down the hallway as he moved the paintings.
Carefully, Cain carried one painting at a time until they were all leaning against the wall in the study. He eased himself into his chair and began to mull over ideas. Gabriel flopped on the floor next to his feet and kept one canine eye on him for a long time before finally going to sleep.
It was late when he finally left the study and crawled into bed. He had made up his mind about what he had to do. It had to work. The alternative, a life without Katie, was no longer acceptable.
Chapter Thirteen
Katie refilled the sugar dispenser and then added napkins to the holder before wiping down the table. She moved to the next table by rote and began the routine all over again. Glancing at the clock, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was ten minutes to closing. She finished the last table and took a quick look around, pleased when she saw only a single couple at a table in the corner. They had already paid for their order and looked as if they were almost finished their coffee.
Her mind drifted back to this past weekend, which had passed in a blur of emotion. It was hard to believe that only a few days ago, she was happily going about her life and anticipating spending a weekend with Cain. Instead, the last week had been an emotional roller coaster.
Lucas had plied her with pizza and two comedy videos he picked up on his way back to her place Saturday night. Katie couldn’t even remember what the movies were. She was just glad for his company. She didn’t know what had transpired between him and Cain. He hadn’t said anything and she hadn’t asked.
Lucas had shown up again early on Sunday morning and dragged her out to breakfast, insisting that she join him for pancakes and syrup. They followed breakfast with a long drive, stopping occasionally to shop at an indoor flea market, a thrift shop, and finally a bookstore. An early dinner had capped off the day and the sun had gone down for the day by the time Lucas had taken her home. She loved him for keeping her company and trying to take her mind off of her problems.
Scooting behind the counter, Katie emptied the last of the trays from the display case. Carefully, she transferred the remaining cookies and treats to a large plastic container. They would be bagged and reduced for a quick sale to the morning crowd. Before closing the container, she selected two cinnamon rolls and put them in a takeout box. She approached the couple in the corner with a forced smile on her face.
“We’re closing now, but I brought you a couple of cinnamon buns for the road.” Katie had long ago found that you could get rid of customers at closing if you offered them a free treat. She didn’t resort to this tactic very often, but today she was desperate to just go home.
As expected, the couple gratefully accepted her offering, tugged on their jackets and wished her well as they headed out the door. Katie called her goodbyes as they left, but was already ducked behind the counter, grabbing the closed sign from underneath. Katie shrieked as something cold hit her hand. Jumping back she hit her hip on the counter and cursed.
Sitting before her, totally unconcerned, was Gabriel. His tail was wagging, and in his mouth he carried a single red rose with a note attached. Her hand automatically reached out to pet him even as her eyes searched for Cain, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Why am I not surprised?” she muttered to the dog. Still, she could not resist the flower and carefully took it from the dog’s mouth. Gabriel licked her hand as she did so, happy that he had discharged his duty.