Let's kiss and make up

Chapter one

Kate Stuart drove slowly through the familiar streets, unable to believe she'd ended up in Hailsboro again. A week ago, she'd been living in Los Angeles and going out with friends in the evenings to have twenty-dollar cocktails. Now, she was steering her car through the sleepy east-Texas town in which she'd grown up.

It had been thirteen years since Kate left Hailsboro. At that time she'd been full of anticipation, as well as a bit of fear, but eager to get out of town as soon as possible, to experience college life and see the great big world. For a teenager, the little town just hadn't been exciting enough.

But as a thirty-one-year-old with a failed engagement and a letter of resignation in her pocket, the idealistic world of her hometown seemed to be just the right thing. At least that's what she told herself as she took a deep breath and scanned the neat facades of the little shops lining the quiet streets.

Not much had changed since she left, and unlike L.A., Hailsboro felt cozy, casting an immediate calming effect on her like an old worn blanket. She'd definitely had enough of the urban life: the anonymity, the noise, the countless waiters who thought they were the next Hollywood star, distributing their business cards as if they were free samples of L'Oréal beauty products. Not to mention the homeless who used foreign cars as urinals. That was something Kate could definitely do without.

She turned into a parking space, turned off the engine, and looked at herself in the rearview mirror. The stress she'd endured during the past week had left visible traces-the dark rings under her eyes were a perfect contrast to her pale complexion, and her tousled dark hair urgently needed a proper shampooing. Her veiled, light-brown eyes revealed absolute exhaustion. Fortunately, the weeping had stopped three days ago, so at least she didn't have swollen eyelids anymore.

It was a good thing she'd come to her grandmother's, Kate thought as she sighed. Bessie would look after her like an anxious, broody mother hen. That thought normally deterred Kate from coming, but right now she needed a little grandmotherly care.

Bessie had been thrilled when Kate called a few days ago to ask if she could stay with her for a while. Since Kate's mom had moved to Seattle five years ago, Bessie had been living all by herself in her big house, running her bakery alone. Kate loved her grandmother very much but hadn't seen her in years, so she was actually looking forward to her stay. When Kate was a teenager, and the three women lived together under the same roof, her mother and Nana used to drive her insane. Bessie Hammond was a very religious and overprotective person-attributes that do not amuse granddaughters in puberty. Now, however, Kate longed for just that-she wanted to be mothered, coddled, spoiled. She wanted to forget.

A glance at her watch showed that her grandmother was probably still in the bakery. At five o'clock in the evening, a few passersby were still rushing from one shop to the other. Although Kate hadn't been here for years, she knew the drill. The high school football game would be on tonight, so any unfinished shopping had to be completed before then. Because in Texas, people believed in only three things: the dear Lord, the right to bear arms, and football. In most cases, however, the order was different. Football, for many, was ranked before actually attending any church services. As for the weapons, they generally remained unchallenged in the number one spot. Even Bessie, a pious, God-fearing woman with a penchant for cakes with pretty icing, kept a shotgun in the closet next to the guest bathroom. She was one true-blooded Texan lady, though she'd never really cared much about football.

Kate, on the other hand, had not allowed herself to become infected by the religiosity of her grandmother or by the Texan infatuation with weapons. Her only vice had been her enthusiasm for high school football.