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.Leanne muttered a good-bye and hastily followed, leaving Katherine alone in the lobby, wondering why the heck she'd ever thought coming to Kentucky was a good idea.* * *After a sleepless night pondering her options, Monday morning Katherine awoke ready to move on with her quest to find her father.She didn't want to hurt anyone, but she still needed to know the truth.What to do with that truth was something she'd worry about later.After having breakfast in her room, she got dressed and walked down to Golden's just before noon.She wanted to look through the photos Justin's father had accumulated over the years.Hopefully, there would be a clue to her father's identity in there somewhere."Katherine," Justin said with a welcoming wave as she entered the bar."I was hoping you'd come in before it got too busy." He set down a wet cloth on the counter top and stepped around the bar."The office is in the back.""Thanks, I really appreciate this.""No problem."Justin led her into a room that was stuffed full of filing cabinets and one paper-laden desk that stood in the corner."Photos in the bottom two drawers of the cabinet," he said."After you go through those, let me know.There are a couple of boxes in the basement as well.""You do have a lot of pictures," she murmured."My father was a shutterbug."She walked over to the filing cabinet and opened the bottom drawer."I'm almost afraid to look.”"For fear you won't find your mother -- or you will?"She glanced back, seeing the twinkle in his shrewd eyes and smiled."I'm that transparent?""Being a bartender, I'm good at reading people.”"I wish I was better at it.""Holler if you need anything.""Thanks." As Justin left, she let out a sigh and then grabbed a stack of photos and set them on the desk.She took a seat and began to look through the pictures.It didn't take her long to realize the enormity of her task.The only face she would recognize would be her mother's but would she even be able to find her mother in the sea of strangers? Pushing that negative thought aside, she forced herself to study each photograph.If her mother had been at Golden's with her father, then this was her best chance at seeing the two of them together.It took almost an hour to get through the first drawer and she was thinking about a break when the office door opened.She was surprised to see Zach, and she couldn't stop the little tumble that her stomach took every time he walked into her life."What are you doing here?" she asked, trying not to look too closely at him, trying not to remember how good it had felt to be in his arms."I was in town.I stopped in to get some lunch.Justin told me you were back here.Any luck?""No," she said, shaking her head.He pulled up a chair in front of the desk."Want any help?""You don't have a million things to do at the barn?""I do, but you're looking a little discouraged."She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear."I'm on a fool's errand, right?""I guess you won't know until you're done.I've got a little time.Give me some pictures and tell me what I'm looking for.""Why are you being so helpful?""Maybe I figure the sooner you get to the end of your search, the sooner you'll be heading back to L.A.and the sooner I'll get my father out of my life as well."She stared into his eyes, but Zach had a really good poker face."Fair enough," she said.She grabbed a pile from the next drawer and spread them across the desk, happy to have some help whatever his motivation."Look for photos of J.T., Justin or Jimmy and tell me if there are any women in them that you don't recognize."For a few moments they worked in silence.Then Zach picked up a photo, studying it more intently than the rest."Did you find something?" she asked.""I'm not sure.This is Jeff Ridgeway.He works at J.T.'s farm.He's about the same age as J.T.and I don't recognize the woman with him." He handed her the photo."Recognize her?"The woman had straight blond hair down to her waist, and looked nothing like her mother."It's not her," she said with a shake of her head and a sigh."This isn't getting me anywhere.”"You might be better off talking to people directly.""I doubt that.I spoke to Leeanne Callaway and Mary Jo Baker yesterday.They were polite, but they made it clear I wasn't welcome here.Mary Jo wanted to know if I'd thought of all the people I might hurt, like Mrs.Callaway's children.""Leeanne's children are grown and gone from the nest.""They might still be hurt to find out their father had a love affair all those years ago.""They might also be your siblings," Zach pointed out.Siblings? She'd never considered siblings.And yet she'd longed for brothers and sisters.How wonderful it would be to find some now.But would they want to know her? They were probably happy as they were."I'm afraid they might be right, that this search of mine will only hurt people.""It might.Dreams come with costs.Nothing is free.And what about you? What about your hurt?"She stared at him indecisively."You sound like you're coming on to my side.""I know what it's like to feel out of place, unwelcome.Maybe I wouldn't choose the path you've taken, because I have a father I'd like to get rid of, but that's my story.You have every right to search for your father.And you shouldn't listen to me or those ladies or anyone else.If you give up now, I think you'll be sorry for the rest of your life." Zach stood up."I have to get back to work.""Thanks," she said.He gave her a smile."I know a little about impossible dreams and wondering if you're crazy for thinking for a minute you can make that dream happen.Don't quit, Kat.""I won't," she promised.She drew in a deep breath as Zach left the office, feeling a lot better than she had a few minutes earlier.She wasn't going to give up yet.She'd spent her entire life wanting to know who her father was, and she was going to do her best to finally get an answer to that question.She picked up the next photo and scanned the crowd.A few minutes later Justin appeared in the doorway with a Diet Coke.He set it down on the desk."Thought you might be thirsty.Have you found anything?""Not yet." She paused."There's something I haven't told you.I'm not just looking for my mother's past, I'm looking for my father.A few months ago I found a letter that led me to believe my father and mother might have lived here in Paradise.He might still live here.And he might not know he has a daughter."Justin's expression didn't waver [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]