It would be hard to say exactly how many hours went into the writing of this story, which I undertook for my own enjoyment. I can't let the chance pass, however to thank a very kind Beta Reader who spent many, many hours editing it. The suggestions, encouragement and all the rest were and are greatly appreciated. Thanks Barb!

Please be warned that a physical relationship between two women is a large part of the story line. If this offends you, please read no further.

j.dragoness@mindspring.com

Part 2

Amy was exhausted from their efforts so she knew that Kate was in even worse shape. She looked over at her tired friend and decided that she was beautiful even now. They drove in silence most of the way to Amy's house, neither feeling the need for idle conversation. As they turned in the drive, Kate automatically glanced in the direction of her building project next door.

"Your guys worked today. I saw the two vans when I came home early from work."

"Really? Well, who'd of thunk it," she joked. "To tell you the truth, I haven't given it a thought but it's nice to know you've been keeping an eye on things for me. Thanks." She reached out and squeezed Amy's forearm. The little jolt she felt was unexpected.

"Horses OK?" Kate didn't know where the question came from but she was glad that she thought to ask it.

"High and dry. I was out feeding them and mucking out stalls when I heard the radio report about flooding. By the way, Scotch said to say hello." This was a little joke that developed between them after their first meeting.

"When did you eat last?" Amy had to wait so long for a response that none was really necessary. "Never mind…we'll take care of that right away."

Kate was used to giving orders, not taking them, but she was weary. When Amy started drawing a hot bath and pushed Kate in the direction of the bathroom, she went quietly. That accomplished, Amy headed into her bedroom to put on some of her own clothes. As she started to pull Kate's worn jersey off over her head, she recognized the distinct fragrance she associated with the builder. She stood there trying to distinguish all of its components. She recognized pine, musk and something else she couldn't put her finger on. Lost in thought, she absently pulled the jersey back on and went into the kitchen.

By the time Kate came out of the tub, she had color in her face again and her hands and feet no longer felt as if they were freezing. She redressed in her discarded clothes. She pulled a brush through the dark tangles of her hair then followed the aroma of food to find Amy browning potatoes in a black iron skillet.

"Have a seat. This is almost ready. I didn't take time to do anything extravagant." She turned and sat a plate of grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches on the table. "The dietary values are absent from this meal, but I know it will be filling. We'll worry about vitamins at a later date."

She filled their coffee cups and sat down to eat. Kate was trying to restrain from wolfing her food. She'd had no idea how hungry she was. The phone rang and Amy held a brief conversation with an unidentified caller.

"Sorry, I have plans already and really can't cancel. Thanks anyway." The younger woman spoke softly, but Kate realized that she was turning somebody down for a date and would have loved to know who.

Suddenly irritated at the possibility, Kate offered a half-hearted apology. "I'm sorry about imposing like this Amy."

"Don't be ridiculous." She heard the note of sarcasm in her friend's voice. "I have plenty of room and besides I'm just as eager to help out the Wilsons as you are. I may not know them very well but they seem really nice."

Kate's thoughts shifted from Amy's social life to the potential disaster they combated all afternoon. "I hope the water doesn't rise enough to flood the house. I've got my fingers crossed. You know, bad as their situation is, I know other people must already have water inside. I'd really like to take the boat out tomorrow and see what it's looking like. Maybe the rain will let up so that I can."

"Can I go with you?" Kate was surprised at the request.

"Sure but what about work?"

"I left a voice mail while you were in the bath. I told them I had a friend in trouble that needed my help. I realize it's not you that's really in trouble, but you could use some help couldn't you?" Amy waited with her fork mid-way to her mouth.

"I'd really like that." Kate's voice reflected surprise and sincerity.

Amy rarely watched television but she turned the set on after dinner and both women curled up on opposite ends of the sofa to watch it. Wrapped in blankets and warm for the first time in many hours it was not long before both of them dozed off watching Xena re-runs.

Sometime in the small hours after midnight, Amy started to stir. She didn't know what caused her to waken. The low light from the paid program commercial on the TV was barely enough to help her determine that she was in the den. Normally she hated to wake up on the sofa as it usually meant a backache for at least part of the day. This time the couch seemed firmer than usual. In fact she was wonderfully warm and content and had almost gone back to sleep when she realized that she wasn't lying on the sofa at all.

In the night, Amy had crept from her end of the couch and was now lying half on, half beside her tall dark haired friend. Shock registered first, then embarrassment. Kate had unconsciously wrapped her in an embrace and that's how she found herself now. Panic stricken, she fought her immediate urge to jump up, realizing that would wake Kate and Amy would be busted. The rise and fall of Kate's chest didn't match the heavy breaths that she heard. She soon realized that she was listening to her own breath. As Amy gathered more awareness of her surroundings, she realized that something else was amiss as well. Kate, fast asleep, was unaware that her hand was tenderly massaging Amy's breast.

As she was trying to think what to do she couldn't help but notice how good the warm contact felt. 'God but that feels TOO good. It's been so long since I've felt hands on me. Knowing that they belong to Kate...well…' She gave herself a mental slap, feeling the need to get a grip on the situation. She didn't want an opportunity to analyze her last observation right now. Amy knew she had to disentangle her limbs from Kate's and get off the sofa undetected in order to save face for both of them. Ever so slowly, she extracted herself and the tangle of her blanket. Managing finally to sit up on the edge of the sofa, she was about to rise when Kate's eyes flew open.

Amy had become an expert in quick thinking long ago. Being a teenager in her mother's house required it. She learned to evade and even lie a little when it became necessary. All of that practice came in handy now as she leaned over and put her hand on Kate's forehead.

"You were restless and I heard heavy breathing." 'I didn't say it was yours.' She looked thoughtful for a moment before removing her hand. "No, I don't think you have a fever." She stood and allowed herself a sigh of relief before moving away a few feet. "I guess we ought to get up and go to bed. This sofa will break your back. You just yell for me if you need anything. Goodnight." She was on her way down the hall.

Kate was scrambling for wakefulness. She had been having the most incredible dream. When Amy woke her, she could still feel the softness and warmth of the body she had been holding against her. A mental flash of a blonde head on her chest made her realize that it had been Amy she was holding in her dream. Shaking her head, Kate sat up and tried to orient herself before heading off to her bed in the guestroom. She hoped that she would go right back to sleep and resume her dream.

Meanwhile, Amy lay staring at the ceiling. Although confusion and embarrassment were wreaking havoc inside her head, the memory of waking in Kate's arms was the one that played over and over there.

Kate never needed anything other than her internal alarm clock to wake her each day. Today was no exception. She was dressed and in the kitchen trying to operate the coffee maker when Amy came in, yawning and pushing blonde bangs out of her eyes.

"Love the bathrobe. It's 'tres chic', except that we pronounce that "tray chick" here in Newton County." Kate's sarcasm earned her a menacing look from intense green eyes.

"You seem to be in a good mood this morning…for a rescue worker I mean." The look she gave Kate was less than friendly. "I, myself, have some brand new aches and pains." Amy dropped bread slices in the toaster and opened the refrigerator.

"I'm kind of in a hurry to get back to the Wilson's house. I'd like to be there when it gets daylight. Let's skip breakfast?" Kate looked hopeful but her suggestion was shot down immediately.

"We'll be in that mess soon enough. You need some nourishment, you crazy woman. Here, drink this." She handed a glass of orange juice to Kate that she seemingly produced from thin air.

More accustomed to giving suggestions than taking them, the builder's feathers ruffled, but she took a deep breath and nodded her agreement. In less than five minutes, Amy had been short with her twice. She decided that her friend just wasn't a morning person.

Kate stood by the front door patting her foot impatiently. Amy apparently could not be rushed although Kate tried every tactic she had ever heard of or used personally to do so. 'Finally! Here she comes. I HATE waiting on anybody.' Through her irritation Kate couldn't help but notice how beautiful Amy looked so early in the morning.

On the ride to Kate's house to meet up with the Wilsons, Amy barely spoke at all and then she limited her conversation to monosyllabic responses. Finally, Kate could stand it no longer. "Have I done something wrong Amy? You seem to be mad about something."

Amy relaxed her death grip on the steering wheel of the Explorer. "Of course not. I'm sorry if it seems that way. I didn't sleep well and I guess I'm a little grumpy. Sorry." She sank back into silence and stewed some more.

'Now that she's brought it up I AM mad and I have no clue who to direct my anger toward.' The "brilliant young designer" as her father always introduced her to his friends, didn't feel so brilliant at the moment. She tried to sort her thoughts into individual issues so that she could study each one and resolve it. Sleepwalking into Kate's embrace had to mean something and she was afraid of what that might be.

Kate's willing response and easy acceptance of Amy's presence in the night was food for thought. The matter of the 'intimate touches' then, must surely be dessert.

Amy knew she needed time to think but she volunteered her help and would feel villainous if she retracted it now. 'What explanation could I offer? Kate, I'm having a nervous breakdown because you may or may not prefer female partners. I may or may not care. I'm jealous because you probably thought that was someone else you held in your arms last night, but who?'

The last question was one she needed to have answered but had no idea how to ask it. 'I'll have to work through all of it later.' She resigned herself to the tasks already assigned to fill her day.

The Wilson's were at the ready when the two friends arrived at Kate's house. They wasted no time except to exchange greetings. Within minutes, they were pulling into the yard at the Wilson home. Kate and Charlie convinced his mother that she should wait in the car while they checked things out. Everyone present knew that they really needed to determine how much they would need to soften the blow. Amy, in an unspoken agreement with Kate stayed with the elderly woman and made small talk. She intended to divert her attention to more pleasant things while they waited.

"It's not bad at all Mama!" Charlie was excited and eager to report his findings. He drew his mom into an embrace and lifted her off the ground. Meanwhile Kate spoke to Amy in low tones.

"The water only got up about six inches and it didn't stay that high very long. The sheetrock didn't soak much of it up at all. It will take a few days to dry out but I think everything will be OK."

Relief was evident on Amy's face. She rolled up her sleeves and the others, taking it as their cue did the same.

"I think that's all we can do for now folks. The rest is a matter of waiting and watching." Mrs. Wilson addressed the tired group. "Charlie and I couldn't have tackled this alone. We can never repay you for your kindness." The remarks touched something in Amy and tears welled up in her eyes.

The three women had taken turns pushing water out the back door with sponge mops and brooms for the first several hours. The next step had been washing the molding along the floor with diluted bleach to inhibit the growth of mildew on and behind it. The muddy lake water stained it, too and the bleach helped rid the stains. Charlie reinstalled the floor furnace single-handed. Watching Kate remove it was all the instruction he needed to reinstall it. At present, it was running full blast to help dry the house. Additionally Charlie scavenged three box fans and they were drying everything with the air they circulated.

Once the residue had been cleaned from the linoleum and plank floors, they all pitched in to rake up debris in the yard. They left it in a large pile on the concrete boat launch to burn later. Some five hours after they started, the task was complete but they couldn't put everything back on the floor yet. The subfloor was wet and Kate was afraid that they would cause pits where the furniture legs sat down on the saturated wood.

Charlie wanted to get his truck unstuck, so he and Kate headed out to accomplish that. Amy and Mrs. Wilson went back to Kate's house to scrounge up a late lunch for everybody.

"Hello." Startled, Kate nearly dropped the phone in her hand.

"Oh, hi. Amy? I didn't expect to catch you at home I was going to just leave a message." Kate was picturing Amy at her computer. She wondered what she was wearing.

"Hey Kate. Yeah, I'm working on some things here today. I have the farrier coming out at two." Kate was quiet and Amy realized that she was stumped, but too stubborn to ask her question.

"Scotch needs new horseshoes." She laughed a little at her friend.

"Oh, well. I just wanted to thank you again for letting me stay with you the last couple of nights."

"Kate, you have thanked me enough and it wasn't necessary in the first place. You are no trouble at all. I am glad you called though. I was thinking of cooking a real dinner Saturday. I'd love for you to come if you don't have plans already?" Amy was fishing for information on Kate's social life.

"Me? Plans? Don't make me laugh! I'd love to have dinner with you, but are you sure you want to cook? We could go out if you want. I could kind of repay you for all of the meals you have fed me that way. Believe me, you do not want me to reciprocate by cooking for you myself." It was Kate's turn to laugh. One of her painters was coming up the incline to the shed where the temporary phone had been installed. She held up a finger to let him know she would be with him in a minute.

Amy was amused by her friend's remark. "Look you, just show up around dinner time. I'll be here."

"Great, I can't wait and Amy, thanks again for putting me up. I'll see you Saturday." As Kate hung up the phone, a mental picture of the attractive young woman began to fade. She had come straight to work from Amy's house. She did a thorough inspection to determine what had been done in her absence the last two days. It almost disturbed her that things had gone well without her supervision. Almost. She walked toward the house, talking to the painter as she went.

"You're sure in a good mood today. What gives?" Andy had been the painter on many of the construction sites Kate had been connected with. He learned to be friendly without trying to make friends. He and Kate understood each other.

"Can't a girl just have a good day once in a while without any particular cause?"

"Whatever you say Kate." He shook his head and launched into the first of many questions he needed her to answer.

It was tough, but she managed to stay fairly clean all day on the site. She was sorry now that she hadn't just planned to return home after lunch for a shower and clean clothes. Andy had given her grief all day about how beautiful she looked. She was aggravated with him at first. When she thought about it though, Andy had never seen her with a clean face, much less in street clothes.

The legal meeting she agreed to that afternoon was scheduled for two o'clock. She knew it had something to do with insurance papers that needed signing and figured it would be brief. She would have time to get the distasteful deed over with and still get out of Atlanta before the traffic got too bad. Or at least that was what she was hoping for.

She had been hard at it for the last two days. The painters were almost done. The trim man Kate contracted was the best in the business, but a little temperamental. Jack said that he would be on-site bright and early Saturday morning to set the enormous front door unit in place. Ada Mitchell found it in an architectural antique shop in Savannah and Kate had to admit when she saw the pictures of it that it would be perfect to accent the front elevation of her design.

Kate carefully orchestrated cabinetry, finals on plumbing and heating/air-conditioning, and rough grading on the outside. Pat Sullivan, the mason would also be returning to build the firebox for the fireplace. The thought of Pat and the look on his face when she asked him to build a block foundation for the 'outhouse' had been priceless. The Mitchell's allowed her to build the outdoor bathroom she had whimsically shown on the original plans. They thought it might come in handy in the warmer months as they planned on being outside enjoying their acreage a great deal. It wasn't technically an outhouse of course. It did have plumbing in it. That request almost caused the plumber to swoon.

She looked around her; satisfied that everything was under control. 'Who am I trying to kid? I hate to leave here, especially to go to some stupid meeting. Ah well. It's not like I won't be back tomorrow. I better get going. I'm gonna be late as it is. Like I care.' She waved to Andy who was washing up brushes by his van and headed downtown.

If the traffic was horrendous on the return trip, Kate didn't even realize it. She clung to the steering wheel as if it was her lifeline. She stared out of the windshield and somehow guided her truck along amidst the lanes filled with speeding cars. Her mind was racing even faster than they were.

'I should have known something was up with the partnership. Why else would they still need to see me almost two years after the fact? I wish I had been thinking. They seem to catch me flatfooted everytime I have to confront them. Damn!'

Kate wasn't really sure what just transpired. She heard the lawyer that had once represented Southern Printing say that she needed to assign her father's 'Key Man' policy. None of the three lawyers present would give her a clear answer when she asked for an explanation as to what exactly that was. The legal secretary who was taking notes smiled brightly at her when she would not allow them to brush off her request. It seemed to her that everyone in that room represented her father's ex-business partner, Jerry. It seemed that way the last time, too and she had later received a settlement statement charging her astronomical legal fees.

"For what?" she wanted to know. "You're charging me for stealing everything my father worked for all of his life? How can you people sleep at night?" She certainly couldn't, for months after that. She vowed that it would not happen again. When she refused to sign today without decent legal representation, the attorney's face went red.

She asked for copies of the documents and an ample opportunity to study them. Over the objections of everyone present, she procured the requested papers and walked out. Her head was about to explode. She looked up and realized that she was driving eighty-five miles an hour down highway 212. She slowed her truck considerably and asked herself for the tenth time what she should do. The whole situation was so painful in so many ways and she wasn't thinking clearly.

'I need help with this. I wish dad were here. Of course if he were here, this would kill him so I guess it's just as well.' Depression washed over Kate.

Nothing influenced her decision. She simply looked up and she was pulling into Amy's yard. Uninvited and unannounced, Kate still somehow knew it would be all right for her to make this impromptu stop. She had no idea what she could or would tell her friend about the situation, but she knew she had to have a sounding board. She also knew that she needed some advice.

The doorbell went unanswered but Amy's car was under the shed. Kate walked to the barn to see if she might be tending the horses. Just as she was entering, she heard a whinny behind her. Turning, she looked up to see Amy's tousled blonde hair lit from behind by the late day sun.

"Kate! How are you?" Amy was waiting for the explanation that went with the look on her friend's face. Something was wrong, but she knew instinctively to wait until Kate offered to bring it out in the open.

"Sorry to just show up like this. I was wondering if you might have time to give me some advice on something. I warn you, it's kind of complicated." She suddenly expected a turn-down, which would have been understandable, but intolerable.

'Something really bad is going down here. It's not like her to look so vulnerable, practically wounded.' "Give me a minute to stable her and I'll be right with you. Why don't you go on into the house and pour us some iced tea or something?"

Kate was searching for the right words to present the situation in the most condensed form possible. She wasn't sure if she should include any information about Connie's involvement either. Amy might find that whole situation distasteful, besides it would be hard to admit how stupid she had been. Every wall cabinet had been opened when she found the one that held the glasses. By the time she got the pitcher from the refrigerator, Amy was coming through the door.

"You look like you might be having kind of a rough day friend. Why don't you tell me about it?" Amy offered the lead-in and walked into the den where the most comfortable seats were. She deliberately avoided the sofa but gave it a long glance as she passed it and sat in the armchair that faced it.

"I'm not exactly sure where I should begin. It all has to do with my father's printing company and how I managed to forfeit it a few years ago." Amy nodded, encouraging Kate to continue and sat back into the chair cushions to listen.

An hour went by without Amy making any comment. The intensity of Kate's revelations and the obvious difficulty she was having in making them let Amy know that it would be best for her to let all of it come out before she interrupted. The story was staggering. The things that Kate had survived and then overcome in her life would have broken a lesser woman. Her bitterness came to the surface several times, especially when she talked about the business partner.

Amy's heart almost broke when Kate told her the events that led up to her father's death. She found it difficult to look at Kate while she was relating some of the highlights of Connie's part in the whole sordid mess. The builder's clear blue eyes filled once, then twice while she spoke of the plot. The tears never spilled. Amy's rage threatened to rise to the surface. When she looked away to try and stop her anger from showing, Kate assumed it was a reaction to the news that she had been romantically involved with another woman.

'Well, what did I expect? At least she was subtle about her reaction. Her mouth didn't drop open as a prelude to throwing me out.' These suppositions stopped Kate in the telling of her story. She was waiting for her instincts to instruct her as to how she should proceed. It never came to that. Amy swallowed the lump in her throat and began to talk.

"It seems to me that you need the services of a really good lawyer. I happen to know one. She was my next door neighbor when I lived in town. I'll call her right away if you say so. You can fax her the documents and let her look them over. They're in such a gut-busting rush to get your signature on them, it sounds like they're trying to get something past you." She took a breath and tried to read Kate's expression.

"I think I need a drink. Can I bring you something while I'm at it?" Amy stood and waited for Kate to decide.

"I'll have whatever you're having." Her stoicism was almost chilling. Amy could read nothing on her features but weariness.

She returned in minutes with two glasses. Kate accepted hers and took a swallow. She came very close to spitting it out. Had she been in her own house she probably would have done exactly that. "What on earth is that?" She made such a terrible face that Amy couldn't help but laugh.

"I take it then that you don't care for scotch?"

"I should have guessed. Why else would you name a horse that? You really like this stuff?" Kate was dubious.

Amy nodded in response and sipped her drink thoughtfully. "It's understandable that you hate this Jerry guy. What a prick." When she realized what she said she colored slightly but didn't apologize for her comment. "It does seem to me though that your dad was a good business man as well as an honest one. After all, somebody had to make those millions in assets that got stolen. I just can't believe he didn't protect the company somehow."

"He was sick for a long time. He should have walked away after the first heart attack. Dad tried in some subconscious way to replace my mother with that business, I think. When he was there, within those walls, the world made sense to him like it did nowhere else."

Amy sat on the arm of the sofa opposite her friend and watched the remembrance cloud searing blue eyes. "What was she like Kate? Did you know her at all?"

"No. Her name was Chance. I love that name. Dad always said that she wanted children too much. She miscarried twice before me and had some other problems with anemia and junk. I guess her body just couldn't recover from all of it. She died when I was four months old. I think it was hard for dad to watch me grow up. He loved me a lot, but it had to hurt him that she sacrificed their life together to bring me into the world. Rita, our housekeeper says I look just like my Mom."

"She was a great beauty then." The comment was so matter of fact that it didn't register with Kate at first. Her head snapped up and she eyed Amy. Amy took a sip of her drink before responding with a note of defiance in her voice. "What? Has no one ever told you that before? I find that hard to believe."

Embarrassed, Kate changed the subject. "I admit it was hard for me to fathom the decisions dad made when he took on Jerry as a partner. He mortgaged the house to raise operating capital? His life insurance was barely enough to pay for his funeral and give Rita some severance pay. The craziest thing by far was paying off the mortgage on the building. That was the best tax deduction the company had." She shook her head. Obviously going back over all of this was upsetting Kate. Now even she began sipping the scotch.

"I don't want to be indelicate Kate, but do you have any realistic idea of how deep Connie's involvement was in this? Did she wield the kind of authority that would permit her to suggest something like that to your father?"

"God, no. She was very bright, but she had only been with the company for seven or eight years. All the employees were shareholders so it was in her best interest to see Southern show a profit. The balance sheets were a disaster for the last three years. That was a major cause of dad's stress. I don't think he ever believed what he was seeing, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong. He knew printing, but bookkeeping was a foreign language to him."

"Did you ever ask her what she knew about all of this Kate?" Amy's voice was soft. She knew she was overstepping a little, but she realized that most of the answers Kate needed were at least available to the accountant.

Kate's mouth tightened into a grim line. "I have never spoken to her about any of it. I barely was able to communicate with her enough to see that her things were removed from the house before it was sold."

"How can you know for sure, then, that she had anything to do with it?" It seemed like a valid point to Amy.

"Because she bailed on the meeting at the last minute, faking illness. I knew something was wrong then, I could hear it in her voice. The only time she tried to contact me after that the conversation opened with, 'Kate, I'm sorry. Please let me explain.' I hope she rots in hell." The last statement was spoken without an ounce of conviction.

"You loved her." It wasn't a question. It didn't get an answer "How long has it been since all of this happened?"

"Four years altogether. Two since the company went up in smoke. I wonder what made me think I could save it anyway? It killed my dad and he loved it. It cost me him, a future in architecture and the only fifteen minutes of happiness I ever had."

Amy emptied her glass and sat down on the sofa next to her friend. She took Kate's hand into hers and forced her to meet her eyes.

"I can see that you're mad at everybody. You're mad at your mom, your dad and Connie. You think they all betrayed you in one way or another. You're mad at the world and I can't really blame you. You've been dealt a rotten hand. Last of all, I've never seen a woman so mad at herself." She got no response. "Who is it that you are maddest at Kate? Do you know?"

Kate pulled her hand away. "Does it matter? I wish I was like Charlie. Life is so simple to him that happiness is more than a possibility. I can't close out the truth effectively enough to experience that."

"No, you're too smart. You have too much passion and integrity, too much loss." Amy had the feeling that she wasn't getting anywhere with this conversational direction. Kate seemed to be building a wall back between them. Amy headed to the kitchen to pour another drink. Surprised at herself for having drained her glass, too, Kate asked for another as well.

When she returned she took a seat on the dark fireplace hearth.

"You've tried every seat in the room now. You seem a little wired." A weak smile accompanied Kate's observation. She was trying to lighten the subject somewhat. A bone deep weariness set in and she just couldn't think any more about mortgage notes and collateral and asshole lawyers. She took a deep breath and opened a different can of worms.

"I've been waiting for you to comment on the matter of my sexual preference. I suppose bringing that and my failed relationship up now would sort of constitute kicking me when I'm down." She gave Amy a good, long look. "You don't have it in you to do that, do you?"

Amy brushed her hair out of her eyes. She was stalling a little, searching for the right words.

"I wondered about your 'social life'. You don't talk about your friends. I guess I attributed your preference for solitude to the fact that you are such an intense person. You always seem to have something going on."

"Yeah, it's always a bad idea to let life get in the way of work, don't you think? At least, that's always been my theory."

"There's no need for you to get sarcastic on me, Kate. I am trying to answer your question as honestly as I can. It's not easy for me. Unlike you, I'm not capable of being flip when we're discussing something that is of obvious importance to you." Kate, determined not to continue being a coward, met Amy's gaze and refused to look away. They were both uncomfortable at first, but eventually they both softened and the anger went out of the room.

That's when Kate Ryan did something she'd wanted to do for a very long time. She continued to look into Amy's eyes, unashamed, as the tears spilled down her face. There was a brief hesitation before Amy moved beside her and cradled her in her arms. They sat like that, one friend comforting another through life's heartbreaks.

The tears dried up finally, but there had been so many it was no wonder that Kate was limp with exhaustion. Amy stood and pulled her up. She led her down the hall to her bedroom and pulled the comforter down for her. "Don't," was all she said when Kate started to object. There was no strength left to fight her so Kate shed her shoes and complied.

Amy crawled in beside her and opened her arms in invitation. Kate gratefully rested her head on a loving shoulder and drifted immediately into fitful sleep. Her friend watched over and held her against all terrors throughout the night.

Something changed in their relationship after that. Kate was finally able to talk about the pain she suffered when she lost Southern and Connie all in one stroke of her pen. She confessed to Amy about the nights after that she spent hanging out in bars, carelessly using and discarding the women who were drawn to what they perceived in Kate as danger. In truth, a woman with nothing left to lose IS very dangerous. All those gray dawns that she spent driving away from stranger's beds put together hadn't held the intimacy that she shared with Amy in that one evening when Kate wasn't afraid to let herself cry.

Now, Amy listened, grateful that Kate trusted her so much when it was so hard for her to trust anybody. Amy no longer hesitated to pick up the phone and call her friend if she needed to talk either, no matter what the hour. She discussed for the first time with anyone how she felt after ending her failed marriage to her college sweetheart. Those years left terrible scars not to mention the rift that the divorce initiated between Amy and her mother.

There was no judgment in their friendship, only acceptance and the promise of an attempt at understanding. They were comfortable in their friendship.

The long wait for Ricki's arrival should have been a nightmare of anticipation. It would have been too, except that Amy kept up a steady stream of conversation, some of which Kate found very intriguing. They covered a wide range of topics. Both of them were learning to trust each other with their personal truths. The conversation ultimately followed a natural progression to matters of the heart.

"It's no wonder people give up on relationships. Even when you do everything right, some monster always seems to rear its ugly head." Kate was enjoying watching her friend by way of stolen glances. It was apparent that Amy was thinking hard about specific experiences and the she couldn't help but ask.

"Forgive me if I'm being too personal..." Amy's laugh interrupted her.

"Considering how deeply you've allowed me to become involved in this very personal thing with Connie, I'd say virtually nothing is off limits." Kate made a mental note to inquire later. She would love to know what Amy considered as a taboo subject between them.

"I thought your split with your husband was fairly civil so you must be talking about someone else."

Amy shifted in her seat so that she was squarely facing piercing blue eyes. "I'm really not talking about any one person at all. It's funny. I had this conversation with Carol not too long ago, too. She says my expectations are unrealistic, that I should be content to find someone who meets most of my qualifications or even some of them."

"Do you actually have a list or something, because I'd be very interested to hear what's on it."

"Just the standard things, really. I like intelligent, strong but not overbearing, considerate, sensitive is nice, too, don't you think?"

Kate would only nod. She didn't want Amy to lose her train of thought.

"I don't think I could be with anybody who was unprincipled, or terribly vain either. Looks are a plus, but not the main attraction."

Kate decided to prod her friend along a little. "What's a person's most important physical attribute in your opinion?"

There was a full minute of silence before the answer came and even then, Amy hesitated. Her face began to flush with color.

"Come on, it's only me. You can tell me." Kate encouraged her by patting her on the knee.

"I really like a nice, firm butt." Once the words were out Amy began laughing at herself.

"Well alright! Good for you."

"What about you?" Amy was curious.

"You'll never believe it, but I love a woman with beautiful hands."

Amy was prompted to look closely at her own. Kate struggled not to notice or to confirm that yes, her friend did indeed have beautiful hands. The moment passed.

"OK. You said a while ago that there was very little that you considered too personal to discuss with me. I'd like to know where you draw the line."

"You ask tough questions." Amy concentrated. I'm not sure I can be specific." She was struggling to come up with an example. "I have a problem with intimacy in general I think. Carol loves to embarrass me at the office with her off-color remarks." Amy raised her eyes in time to intercept Kate's glance. "I've broken my share of rules. It's just that she is always pumping me for details. She says she wants to experience…" Amy stumbled for the right word. "….romance vicariously through me since she doesn't have any of her own."

"You're probably nowhere near as innocent as you appear to be." Kate's statement hung in the air between them. "You just have too much class to have casual conversations about intimate things."

"Don't misunderstand about Carol. She's not crass or anything. She just loves to rag on me and play the matchmaker."

"Is she having any success?" Kate wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Gosh, no. Everybody I meet seems to be an easy target for character assassination. I hate dating. It's so complex to be as predictable as it is."

"Ain't it though!" Kate agreed vigorously.

There was enough food for thought in this segment of their conversation, that both of the women grew quiet and feasted on fantasy.

"Do you have any of the paperwork from the settlement Kate?" Ricki Warren who had been Amy's neighbor in town, was not just an attorney, she was a justice machine. She sat at Amy's kitchen table with the two friends. Papers were spread out between the three of them.

"Thank God you saved all of these Kate." Amy refilled Kate's iced tea glass without needing to ask if she wanted more.

"I'd like to take credit, but Rita is the one who insisted on storing them for me when I moved out of the house. I never wanted to see them again." She explained the attorney that Rita had been the family housekeeper.

"Well, they shed some light on a lot of things. I forget the partner's name, what is it?" Kate supplied it with disgust. "His attorney turned up a life insurance policy that your father took out thirty-three years ago. It's called a 'key man' policy because its purpose is to protect the company in case anything happens to the major player in the organization. The company made the annual premium payments for years. When Jerry came into the picture, your dad made Southern Printing pay it up for seven years in advance as part of his partnership agreement." Ricki looked up at Kate to see if she was clear on everything so far. She gave her a reassuring smile before continuing.

"He made you the beneficiary, Kate. That's why he made mention in his will that you could, at your discretion, take over his position as President and/or his job at the company. The policy would provide operating capital and take the pressure off you until you could decide what you wanted to do with his interest. If you had chosen not to work there, you would have had the means to hire his replacement for as long as it took to find a buyer for Southern." She waited knowing that was a lot of information to digest all at once.

"So what does this all this really mean at this point? There's no company anymore, much less a 'key man'." Kate was staring at the tabletop. She was expecting the answer to her question to be more bad news and she was steeling herself to hear it.

"Technically we are just talking about a life insurance policy here. Because of the purpose it was intended to serve, the company could pay the premiums and write them off. It was still left up to you as beneficiary how you wanted to best help the company." She had absently taken a pretzel from the bowl Amy offered and had been jabbing it in the air as she spoke. Now she punctuated her point by eating it.

Amy had been holding onto a question for some time and decided now was a good time to interject it. "How did the attorneys get their hands on the policy? I would have thought the insurance company would have contacted Kate, not them."

"It's not up to the insurance company Amy. They didn't call anyone. The beneficiary has to contact THEM and let them know that the policyholder has died. Usually you have to send a copy of the death certificate too."

"She still has a valid question then, Ricki. How did they get the policy?" Kate was getting a very bad feeling in her gut.

"That would be a good question to ask when I contact them on your behalf. That, and why it is just now coming to light. Of course, it may take a court order to get them to relinquish the policy but your signature wouldn't be necessary if they didn't have it." Ricki was already running through the gears mentally, outlining what her course of action would be.

"I'm not sure I can get into this whole mess again Amy." Kate looked like she was in physical pain.

It was heartbreaking for Amy to watch what just the memory of the situation caused. "That's up to you kiddo. Ricki, what do you advise?"

"I think you should let me contact them, Kate. Frankly, these documents are on the borderline of legality at best. You have the grounds for a lawsuit here and then some. I'm not suggesting that you go back and try to right all the wrongs, but on this issue at least I want them to treat you fairly. I want them to give me a few answers before you consider letting them off the hook."

"OK. I can do that I guess." Kate looked at Amy for support and found it in her expression along with relief that she was agreeing to fight this last fight. She had been trying to convince Kate that she had to have closure on her past in order to let the bitterness go.

"What will all of this cost Ricki? I'm not exactly flush, but I can probably put together a retainer or something."

"I'll tell you what Kate. You let me initiate this inquiry and find out what's up first. Then we'll negotiate my fee. I promise you this, though. If I don't get anything for you out of this, I won't take anything from you. Fair enough?" She extended her hand to shake on the deal. Kate accepted the terms and shook it.

Kate left shortly after that. She thought Amy would want to visit with her old friend for a while. She also needed to get someplace where she could brood a bit on this whole situation. Something was deeply disturbing about a lawyer winding up with her dad's life insurance policy. The other one, the one he kept in a fire proof file cabinet in his den at home had been in a manila envelope with his last will and testament. She called the insurance company herself to find out what was necessary to cash it in. It relieved her to discover that it was a simple and quick process. Otherwise, she couldn't have paid his funeral expenses.

Amy called later in the evening. She was sure Kate had been upset when she left and thought maybe she'd had time to level out. "Hey there. You OK Kate?"

Kate liked that Amy didn't feel the need to identify herself when she called. In fact, it was common for either of them to simply launch into conversation when they heard 'Hello'.

"I'm going to be fine Ams. Your friend there is one sharp lady. She married?"

"You get right to the point don't you? If you're interested, I could let her know, in a discreet way of course." Amy loved to kid her friend most when she knew Kate was feeling vulnerable. Because Kate didn't allow just anybody to kid her, ever, it reiterated a special closeness between them and soothed the vulnerability.

"What did you have in mind? I see an airplane trailing a banner as it circles over Decatur. No, I've got it. You would probably use a marching band and have the majorettes carry picket signs. I can see it now. 'Ricki - Will - You - Go - Out - With - Kate - ?'" The sound of Amy's laughter at her humor lifted Kate's spirits immediately.

"Are you telling me the beautiful barrister would entertain such an offer?" Kate was on a roll now.

"Yes, I'm sure she would, but I don't plan on lending you out at the moment." There was dead silence at the implication of what Amy said.

Kate recovered first and asked for Amy's 'take' on the situation with Southern. They had been talking for almost an hour when Kate's yawn announced her weariness.

"I guess I better let you get some sleep. It sounds like you're worn out and I need you to be attentive tomorrow. You haven't forgotten have you?" Amy had been planning this riding lesson for her friend for weeks. Rain had saved Kate once, and problems on the construction site required her attention and saved her on two other occasions. This time Amy scheduled their ride for Sunday, a non-work day and there was no hope of another rescue in sight.

"No, dear." She imitated the flat replay of a too-long-married mate. "I am breathless with anticipation."

Amy was leading Scotch out of the barn when she heard Kate's truck in the drive. She tied the reins to the hitching rail and turned to greet her friend just as Kate alighted from the Chevy. The builder was wearing a brilliant white smile that matched her tee shirt over faded jeans and too-new western boots. Her hair shone in the early morning sun and hung loose to her shoulders. Amy's reaction was audible and though it included no words, its meaning would have been clear to anyone who heard it. Fortunately, Kate did not and Scotch would never say anything.

"Good morning! Are you up for this my friend?"

"I would be but I haven't had any coffee yet. I ran out." Kate tried to look pitiful.

"Maintaining an inventory in your kitchen isn't one of your strong suits is it? Don't worry, I fixed a thermos to take with us. The sooner you get Molly saddled the sooner we will get to the lake and the sooner you can have your caffeine."

Kate looked at her dubiously but followed her to the barn. It didn't take Kate long to get her horse ready to go. Amy talked her through it, helping only occasionally. She asked Kate to lead Molly out of the barn so that she could demonstrate the 'proper procedure' for mounting up. She offered her friend a two-step stool that she kept around the barn before shouldering a saddlebag and heading into the house. Kate naturally waved off the offer.

Amy shook her head quietly as she watched from the kitchen window. Kate hooked her boot in the stirrup with no problem but Molly took a step and Kate panicked. Loosing her balance, she hopped twice before freeing her foot and falling on her butt. She stood and looked around to make sure Amy hadn't seen her before trying again. Her second attempt was successful and she was beaming down at Amy from the saddle when she came out of the house. Amy placed the saddlebag on Scotch's back and wasted no time in climbing aboard. She led them all down the worn path toward the lake.

Although she would never have admitted it, Kate was nervous. She was concentrating too hard and Amy decided to try and distract her a little.

"I like your boots partner." She laughed a little.

"These are leftover from my bar scene days." She thought about that for a moment. "Image is everything you know."

"I see. You must have been going for that urban cowgirl thing then. Good idea, I imagine it worked well." Kate looked over to see if she was being poked fun at but Amy's back was to her.

Within minutes of starting down the trail, Kate's fears vanished. She had quickly grown accustomed to the motion of the animal under her and reluctantly admitted that she was enjoying herself.

When they came out of the trees, she was amazed to see the beautiful little lake that waited for them. "Wow! Are there any fish in that thing?"

When Amy nodded, Kate wanted to know more. "Have you ever been fishing here?"

"Not since I was about seven. I'm not much of a fisherperson."

"Obviously you just need the proper teacher." Kate began her campaign to get Amy down to the lake at her earliest convenience so Kate could return the kindness of the riding lesson with one in fishing.

Molly and Scotch had both spent many hours grazing under the sweet gum trees with their mistress and knew the drill. Amy pulled the saddlebag down onto the grass and started unloading its contents. She poured coffee into the thermos lid and produced a ziploc bag that was filled with biscuits.

"This is my idea of breakfast to go." Kate grinned and took the coffee, sipped it and passed it back to Amy.

While they ate, Kate commented on the various sites around the lake that would be perfect if Amy ever decided to build another house on the property. "It's no wonder that you love this place Amy. I can't believe your family objected to you moving out here."

"Not my family, my mother. Everybody else has a life of their own to occupy them," she spat back bitterly.

The remark was charged with resentment. Kate would have liked to pursue the subject but was reluctant to do so. Fortunately, Amy felt some explanation of her sentiments was necessary and she began telling Kate some of her history.

Sara Ingram, Amy's mother, believed that a woman was nothing more than a reflection of the men in her life, whether it was their father, brother or husband. All she ever wanted for any of her daughters was for them to marry well and give her grandchildren.

Amy was the second of three daughters. The oldest carried out her mother's wishes to the letter and was now married for nineteen years and the mother of four pretentious children who attended private schools in Mobile. Her younger sister tried hardest to rebel, but her attempt had been ineffectual to say the least. The loving mother of two children, she had been in therapy for five years and was still miserable with her life.

"I'm the fourth generation in my family to own this place. Dad always wanted to raise us here, but my mother would have none of that. We lived in a little house on Floyd Street in Covington at first. It wasn't big, but it was in a prestigious area and that mattered to my mother. When dad was offered a job at an Atlanta law firm he didn't want to take it, but it made it possible for her to have her house in Decatur."

Amy's mother assumed that her husband was getting the farm ready to sell when he had the house gutted and modernized. The girls were little then and the money the sale would generate could go a long way toward raising the family's standard of living. When the renovation was complete, he announce his intentions to move them all in and Mrs. Ingram laughed at the absurdity of his suggestion. She had no intention of raising her girls in that backwoods setting.

John Ingram left the acreage to his middle daughter along with his father's blue chip portfolio, which generated enough dividends annually to pay most of the taxes on the place. Amy made the last payment on the mortgage he initiated to do the renovation but immediately borrowed again to have the barn built and re-fence the pastures. The monthly payments she made now were modest and she only had six more years before the mortgage would be retired.

The pre-nuptial agreement only covered the farm. Everything else that Amy and Steve cared to accumulate in their life together was their own affair and could be dispensed with as they pleased. Steve, having been employed at an Atlanta law firm for five months understood the legalities being outlined. Mr. Ingram was apologetic but candid with his intentions. Steve signed an agreement relinquishing any personal claim should the marriage break up. The three of them laughed at the possibility of that ever happening. Amy was glad her mother had not been included in their little meeting. The mention of a possibility that Amy would not stay married forever would have sent her mother over the top.

Matrimonial bliss was the last thing on her mind when she entered the University of Georgia as a graphic arts student although she suspected that it was her mother's primary reason for sending her there. Amy rarely socialized outside of the occasions made mandatory by her sorority. She pledged Chi Omega as a consolation prize to her mother. She was a legacy since her older sister had been a member until dropping out of school to marry.

In her second year of school, her grudging attendance of lawn dances and pledge teas had not prepared her for the outcome of a blind date that yielded her Steve Reynolds. He too was a serious student in his first year of law school. Each served as a breath of fresh air to the other in the college 'dating arena'.

By the time they graduated, Amy and Steve had been seeing each other for almost two years. He had a position in an Atlanta law firm. She had begun the job at Walton and Hanley that she still held. A six month engagement didn't really give her mother time to prepare the garish wedding she would have liked to subject them to, but she was forced to make do.

John Ingram sat the young couple down three days prior to their wedding. He explained to them both about the responsibility of maintaining the land and how it would pass to them and then their children. Mr. Ingram had no mixed feelings about the young man who would soon be his son-in-law. He knew Steve was decent and compassionate not to mention hopelessly in love with his daughter. He still had no way of insuring that theirs would be a successful marriage and he had to protect his legacy.

Amy and Steve never moved into the Covington farmhouse though it had always been the plan. Steve's hours with the law practice were killing that first year and the commute would have done him in. Amy should have minded all of the evenings she was alone, but she was content with her routine and planning projects for the weekend. She spent all of them at the farm, cleaning and re-decorating. The house sat empty for many years and needed some attention to make it into a comfortable home for them. Most of the time, she worked late on Saturdays and stayed overnight there. Steve was at the office anyway and never missed her.

He only ended up spending two weekends with her at the farm. It was during the second of those visits that she realized their marriage was in trouble.

"Looking back, I think my dad had an idea that I was doing the wrong thing by marrying Steve. I think I must have been in love with being in love." Amy was thoughtful.

"Do you have regrets?" Kate asked softly.

"Only that he was hurt by it. He's no less complicated than I am but he wanted just exactly what we had. I needed some other interpretation. I wanted all of it to feel right and make me deliriously happy."

"Do you ever see him now?" Kate asked without thinking then regretted doing so, afraid that it might be a painful subject.

Amy waved away her apology. "Not often. He's in Houston now with his new wife and their two sons. He sends me pictures of the boys once in a while."

"It's nice that you were able to remain friends. I have always admired people who are able to do that."

"It hasn't always been easy because we still love each other. That's the irony of it." She was quiet then added, "I have no idea what a perfect marriage looks like. My parents had love but he wanted nothing more than her happiness. He never even tried to discover what he wanted for himself. Steve was like that. I just couldn't be the partner he wanted or deserved. I felt like I was drowning all the time.

"My dad walked all three of his daughters down the aisle. He loved my mother in spite of herself and remained my only ally when I got divorced. He understood that happiness is more essential in life than the appearance of happiness."

Kate became concerned about the emotional free fall Amy was suddenly in because of her prying. "It sure is getting hot out here. Maybe we should think about heading back."

Amy smiled; knowing full well what Kate was trying to do. She started packing up the saddlebag. Both of them mounted their horses and they all began the slow walk back to the house.

When they reached a point almost half way to the barn, the sound of another question drifted over Kate's shoulder and back to Amy. "Do you think you would consider marriage again?"

"I'm finding out that I need to discover what I want before I presume to bring anything into a relationship."

A few days later, Amy was sitting at the computer in her home office. She was stuck. For the past week she had been trying to come up with a great logo for a new client. She'd finally hit on a workable graphic and staying at home today she assigned herself the task of choosing colors that would compliment it. She tried screens and shades and graduated tints. Nothing was magic to her. Consequently, it was a relief when the phone rang.

"Thank goodness you're home."

"What's wrong Kate. Are you hurt?" Amy reacted immediately by starting to put on the shoes she'd slipped out of and pushed under her desk.

"Why do you always assume I have injured myself? No, I am fine! That's the problem. I feel great, the weather is perfect and I am sick of looking at this house. Let's go fishing!" Kate sounded like she was bouncing off the walls.

"Right. My favorite thing to do." Amy begged off saying she had work to do, but Kate whined and begged and chided her until she finally caved in and said she would think about it.

Kate looked at her watch. "It's two o'clock. I'll pick you up in an hour." She hung up and sprinted to her truck before Amy had a chance to ring her back.

In one hour to the minute, she was standing at Amy's back door with a silly grin on her face. The door opened before she had a chance to knock.

"I should have known you would be on time." She pointed to the cooler and backpack sitting on the floor of her mudroom. "Food, which I'm sure you didn't think of and water, sun screen, bandanas, etceteras." She was trying to be stern and it just wasn't believable when Kate got a look at mischievous green eyes.

"Food, drinks, I have the poles, tackle and bait. All I need is a beautiful blonde and I'm ready to go." She picked up the cooler and was out the door before she could note Amy's reaction.

The two friends drove Kate's truck down the same path they had ridden on the past weekend. Amy got onto her knees and faced Kate so she could slather sunscreen across her face. She rubbed it in as best she could with Kate talking a mile a minute about fishing techniques. When she was done, Amy wiped the excess onto the right leg of Kate's jeans.

"Hey, no fair!" Her objection was weak at best.

When they got to the shoreline, Kate jumped out and was a picture of organization. She sat a Styrofoam cooler on the ground close to the water and set up two lawn chairs on either side of it. Next, she took a tackle box and put it within reach of one of the chairs. Amy's cooler and the backpack were unloaded last and put in the nearby shade.

The demonstration of how to put a minnow onto a fishhook did not go well. Amy watched, disgusted and appalled at the inhumane practice. Right off the bat she flatly refused to bait her own hook. Kate didn't really argue the point. She was pretty much prepared for it. It didn't take long to go over the rudimentary skills of catching a fish, but casting the line took a while.

When both lines were in the water and they were officially fishing, Amy asked how Kate learned so much about the sport.

"My grandmother used to take me when she visited. We would go, just the two of us and spend the entire day. I don't know how she had the patience, but I am so glad she took me. She died when I was young and those are still some of the best memories I have, so they must really stack up." Kate noticed that the bobber at the end of Amy's line was moving rapidly across the water. She knew that a fish was chasing the minnow underneath it. "You might want to keep an eye on that stopper kiddo. If it goes under you have to set the hook like this." The demonstration was barely over when the red and white bobber disappeared beneath the surface.

Amy's eyes grew wide and she forgot everything she had been told, as expected. Kate spoke calmly, telling her what to do next. By the time everything registered with Amy, the fish escaped. Suddenly, VERY interested in the skills of fishing, Amy cursed and kicked the dirt in frustration.

Laughing Kate knew she had witnessed a priceless sight and a side of Amy that her friend rarely revealed.

They spent the afternoon kidding and enjoying the glorious weather. It felt good to play hooky from their responsibilities; something neither of them did very often. Kate managed to land two very decent bass, demonstrating in the best possible way how to effectively catch fish. Amy's competitive nature, usually dormant, kicked in and she became half-serious about the afternoon outing, making it into something of a contest.

It was nearing dusk and Amy had yet to catch anything. Kate started to load up some of their gear and let her friend enjoy the last of the day's fishing undisturbed. Just as Kate hoisted her lawn chair into the bed of the truck, Amy let out a scream. The end of her fishing pole bent drastically, the drag sawing and line unwinding from the reel. Kate had a feeling this was a trophy and she rushed to her friend's side, fighting the instinct to take the rod when Amy begged her to.

"You can do this, just hold the tip up and keep the line tight!" She stepped back a step to make it clear that she was only there for moral support.

There was really nothing in her life experience that had prepared Amy Ingram for the exhilaration of something so basic as reeling in a fish. She had seen little kids get excited over it. Her own nephews and nieces had been wired after an hour of fishing in this very pond, but she thought that was a "kid thing". She now knew for a fact that it was not.

Azure eyes observed with affection the birth of yet another avid fisherperson. As Kate watched, she realized that she had never seen Amy wear shorts before and she noted that she had very nice legs. The enjoyable observation was interrupted when the lunker bass Amy was wrestling jumped clean out of the water, just ten feet from shore.

Amy stepped back, frightened a bit by the sudden appearance of so large a creature. Kate could only laugh as she stepped to the water's edge, talking calmly.

"Walk backwards now and keep the rod tip up, I'll get him when he's close enough." She waited patiently until the fish was close enough. Just as she got a grip on his bottom lip, the line broke and lashed backwards. She felt a sting on the side of her face, but hung on to "Mr. Bass" for dear life. This was not something she would care to miss. Turning, she lifted the six-pounder up to eye level and held it out for his captor to get a closer look.

"Congratulations. I know people who have tried for a lifetime and never caught one as nice as this." Amy was in awe, moving closer to get a better view. She suddenly dropped the fishing pole on the ground and did a little dance step. "You keeping him? If not, we need to put him back in there pretty quick." Kate didn't want to make the choice for her.

"I'd really like to, but it seems smarter to put him back, so I can catch him again some other time. That was so much fun!" Her face was flushed and her heart rate had still not dropped to normal.

"Say goodbye then. Aloha 'Mr. Bass'," Kate instructed her friend as she squatted to release the beautiful fish. He was tired from the struggle to shore, but in a few seconds recovered enough to take off in a hurry. Amy's laugh sounded like a kid at Christmas.

As Kate stood up, she reached for the bandana in her back pocket to wipe her hands and was almost knocked over by an enthusiastic Amy throwing arms around her. She returned the embrace and was seriously enjoying the feel of Amy in her arms when her friend withdrew to arms length. "I can't thank you enough for bringing me here. What great fun." Amy was beaming as she started to hug Kate again and changing her mind planted a kiss on Kate's mouth instead.

Her behavior startled Kate who now stood, immobile, with her arms still loosely around Amy's waist. Some reflex caused her to draw Kate's lips within reach so that she could kiss them again, more slowly this time.

Just as Kate thought things were getting really interesting, Amy jumped back as if burned. Her face reddened and she avoided Kate's eyes.

'Well, I see how we're gonna play this, I think. I bet she is freaking out! God, what soft lips.' She tried to act like nothing happened, as that seemed the plan Amy had in mind for herself.

The ride to the house was quiet. Kate sat the cooler and almost empty backpack inside the back door. She put her hands into her back pockets and waited for Amy to look at her, planning to say something that would help. She had to put her finger under Amy's chin and raise her face to accomplish it.

"I had a great time Amy. I don't want to find out that you're one of those people who's trophy gets larger with every telling of your fish story." She laughed easily, giving Amy a chance to exit the situation gracefully.

"You were wonderful and so patient… I had fun too." Kate wasn't sure if she was talking about the fishing or not. She hoped not.

"Talk to you soon." She drew her hand away and walked to her truck. Amy was still standing in the open doorway when she drove out of sight.

"Hello."

"Ricki needs to talk to you and she wants to do it in her office. Can you see her Thursday afternoon?"

"I'm fine, thanks so much for asking." Kate laughed at Amy's habit of launching right into the meat of a conversation. "I don't see why I can't meet her, I just need directions."

"Pick a spot you can find and I'll meet you and take you over to her office. After you've been there once you won't have any trouble." She knew of Kate's reluctance to go into downtown Atlanta.

"If you can manage that, I owe you big. I hate all the one way streets down there."

Amy laughed at her friend. "You are a typical Atlanta native."

"What do you mean? I am probably the ONLY Atlanta native you have ever met. The rest of you are immigrants."

"I don't think being born in Covington constitutes immigrant status, Kate."

"It does to me." Kate shot back. They kidded back and forth for a few minutes before agreeing to have dinner in town after the appointment as a special treat.

When Thursday finally arrived and Kate wasn't sure it ever would, she made certain that she was on time. As soon as she pulled to the curb in front of the office building, Amy stepped out of the glass doors and walked briskly to the curb. She settled into the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt. "Where's your car?"

"I carpooled with a guy from Monticello so you wouldn't have to try to follow me around down here."

"What a nice surprise. Thanks." Kate pulled out into traffic and followed the directions Amy was giving. Both had been swamped with work all week so they used the time now to catch up on things. Amy was thrilled to hear that Mark and Ada Mitchell had some friends asking Kate for a bid on their house. She had met with the couple twice already. All of the time she could spare from the construction site was being eaten up by cost estimates and material lists. The new program she installed on her computer helped a lot, but estimating still ate up a ton of hours.

Ricki didn't keep them waiting long once they arrived. Amy, expecting to wait for Kate in the reception area, was surprised when her friend insisted that she sit in. "I would just have to repeat everything to you later anyway." She smiled and waited for Amy to enter Ricki's office before following her.

The attorney had a different presence in her office than she'd had sitting at Amy's kitchen table. Kate could readily see why she was successful in her field. She had a confident presence and was well prepared. In short order she relayed a synopsis of the events that had transpired since their last conversation.

"I told the insurance company that I was acting in your behalf. They asked for my power of attorney, which I supplied to them. Jerry's lawyers had already contacted them so now they are a little confused. You are the beneficiary of record and normally it wouldn't be necessary for you to produce the actual policy in order to claim it. Because there are two inquiries they are insisting that the document be surrendered as is their right."

"You know I don't have it Ricki. I have no idea how THEY got it, but I have never even seen the damned thing." Kate was frustrated with the whole situation.

"If they do, it came to them by illegal means. The other policy was with your dad's will at home you said. Why would this document be somewhere else, especially if it was intended for you to control its proceeds? No something is definitely fishy here."

Now Amy spoke up. "What can she do Ricki?"

"I've been through the depositions and only one person had access to this kind of paperwork at Southern Printing AND at your home."

Kate paled automatically. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

Amy voiced her reaction for her. "Are you saying that Connie had something to do with this?"

"I can't see anybody else who would know for almost certain how this policy came to be in the possession of those lawyers." Ricki rose from her chair and came around the desk. She sat on the corner closest to Kate and spoke quietly. "I need for you to talk to her Kate."

There was an intake of breath from both women. "I don't think I want to do that. It's not worth it, especially after all this time. I'd rather just let it go." Kate was beginning to get some color back in her face.

"I think I know how you feel, but I want you to give this some serious thought. Your father wanted you to have this money Kate. Two million dollars is a chunk of change to just hand somebody because you dread a confrontation."

"Say that again please." It was Amy's voice making the request. Kate lost her power of speech altogether.

"Yes, the face value of the policy is two million dollars and they are basically trying to steal it from you." Ricki added that she had hired an investigator that she frequently did business with to find Connie just in case Kate agreed. Connie was living in Columbus and Ricki had her phone number on the pad that rested on her desk.

"Give me the keys Kate."

She complied with no argument and got into the passenger's seat.

Amy didn't ask her if she still wanted to go to dinner because she knew she would decline. She also knew that Kate had been through a rough week and this latest development seemed to have knocked the wind out of her. Kate needed to eat so as she started to drive Amy ran down a mental list of restaurants that were fairly quiet where they might go.

Kate was in a trance, staring intently into the dashboard, oblivious to her surroundings. Once Amy decided which aspect of 'the bomb' she wanted to bring up, she opened the conversation. "Tell me what you are thinking and what you want to do with all of this information."

"I don't know why he did it. I mean, I do know why dad had the insurance but I don't understand why he didn't tell me about it. All of this would have been so simple to avoid. Hell, I might have been able to keep the house, if not the company."

"Maybe he was afraid that any talk of his mortality would scare you. He loved you Kate and he was all you had left. Besides, who among us doesn't believe we'll live forever? It's a natural if unrealistic attitude, especially for a man who was as young as he was."

"Yes, but he'd already had one heart attack! I am so mad at him!"

"Yes, for leaving you with this mess to untangle, for letting that slime Jerry into your lives. It's all spilt milk Kate, all of it."

"I know, I know, and I wish I could let go of it. That's what I was trying to do when we closed the company. I didn't fight then because I wanted the pain to be over so I could breathe again. If I'd had any idea that I was dealing with illegal actions instead of just unethical ones I never would have folded so easily."

"I don't think anybody would ever accuse you of backing down from a fight Kate. Here we are."

They arrived at a restaurant just off the square in Decatur. It was one Kate had never been to. Amy asked for them to be seated at a quiet table. They promptly ordered dinner and ironically Kate exhibited a hearty appetite while Amy only moved food around on her plate. When she could stand the silence no longer, she raised the subject again.

"You need to talk to Connie." The explosion she was waiting for never came.

When Kate finally did meet her gaze, her voice was flat and low. "I'm not sure I can. I don't know if I can handle what she might tell me. I think I avoided it before by walking away. It was a self-preservation thing that allowed me to kid myself."

Amy handed the waiter a credit card without even looking at the check. He was back momentarily. The restaurant was filling up with diners and he was anxious to free up their table.

"Ricki thinks you need to see her in person, you know."

"Yeah, well Ricki might as well just ask me to walk out into five o'clock traffic. It would yield the same results."

"Stop being so melodramatic Kate. Connie is a woman that you loved once and shared a life with. I know it's awkward to talk to her, believe me. Steve and I split on good terms and it can be pretty bad but this is important."

She could tell by her expression that Kate was closed to further discussion on the matter. Amy sighed deeply as she accelerated onto the expressway and asked how Charlie was doing with his new girlfriend.

Since nothing else was said on the entire trip home Amy was totally surprised when they pulled into her yard and Kate asked if she could make the call from there.

Amy led her into her office and closed the door as she left. Kate stared at the notepaper that Amy had flattened out on the desktop. Kate kept looking at the phone number and realized she was memorizing it. She shook her head. 'You're losing it, you know that? But then, what else is new, right?' She rocked back in Amy's office chair and looked around her at the décor. There were pictures of children on the wall. 'Must be her nieces and nephews. They are beautiful kids''. She studied the drawings; colorful toys and office junk that were obviously candy for Amy's creative mind. She didn't know how long the dial tone had been droning in her ear but when she realized that it was, she cradled the phone again. Taking a deep breath she grabbed it and dialed the number.

The voice that answered was unfamiliar. She thought that maybe she had the wrong number. "Is Connie there please?"

"Sure, hang on a second, will you?"

The next voice was unmistakably that of her former lover. "Connie, this is Kate Ryan." She let that hang in the air while she tried to steady her shaking hands.

"I never expected to hear from you. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but I need to talk to you about something. Will you see me?"

She went on to explain very briefly about the insurance. When the line went silent, she thought Connie had hung up on her. In fact, she was startled when the woman in Columbus spoke again.

"I can't believe that. They were supposed to make sure ……." Was all she could manage.

"We don't have to go into that now, but I really need to get some information from you."

They agreed to meet at Connie's house the next afternoon. When Kate hung up, she closed her eyes and leaned back trying to breathe evenly.

Amy met her at the end of the hall with a glass of wine in both hands. She handed Kate one and led her into the den. The details of the brief conversation came out in time. Amy listened at length, something Kate rarely allowed her to do. She kept her friend's wineglass full from the bottle that was in a terra cotta wine cooler at her feet. Two hours and almost two bottles of Chardonnay later, Kate was finally winding down a little.

Kate came back from a trip to the bathroom and plopped down onto the arm of the chair Amy was sitting in. She leaned back causing her butt to slide off the arm and more or less deposit her into her friend's lap. "Although I have been drinking, I am not drunk and I want to tell you something."

Amy was vastly amused by this adolescent behavior from her generally intensely responsible friend. "OK then, tell me." She smiled at Kate, entranced by the light she saw in her eyes.

"You are really good to me Ams. You have tolerated me when I could hardly tolerate myself." Kate marveled at the profundity of her own observation. "You've accepted me and shown me compassion. I never really had a friend as close as we are before. I sure haven't ever felt like my feelings were important until now."

"That's really nice to hear Kate. You've been a good friend to me, too." Even though she was enjoying the sentiments, Amy was not sure she agreed with Kate's assessment. In fact, unlike Kate she was pretty sure the builder was tipsy.

"Wait, let me finish, I don't think you understand." She put her fingertips to Amy's lips to silence her and left them there, becoming fascinated with the texture of the skin under them. Moving her fingers slowly back and forth, she finally realized that Amy was watching her and Kate tried to gauge her reaction.

Amy's eyes closed as she reveled in the feel of the gentle contact. It was all the invitation Kate needed and she moved her fingers away to make space for her mouth. Her hunger was evident and it scared Amy. She struggled and finally pushed the bigger woman away. Kate was berating herself for being so brutish when she heard Amy say "Take it easy will you. There's no need to rush, I'm not going anywhere."

Relief flooded her as Kate got off of Amy's lap, afraid that she was too heavy to hold. She got onto her knees in front of Amy and pushed her legs apart so that she could move in eye-to-eye. She took both of her hands. "Of all the things we've talked about, this is the one we seem to have avoided." They both had to laugh at the irony. Amy leaned forward to offer her lips again and Kate met her half way. The heat that had been building between them for a long time came to the surface. There was a deep rumbling of discovery in Amy's throat where her voice used to live. Every kiss was longer and went deeper. The world spun slower in contrast. They stopped the assault long enough to breathe a bit but continued to hold on tight to each other. Amy turned her head enough to softly kiss the ear that seemed to be waiting for her. She was rewarded with a sensuous moan. She whispered unintelligible words but Kate interpreted them anyway and answered with murmured confessions of her own. Later, when Amy remembered that night and those declarations the one she prized most was 'I need you.'

Amy surrendered reason willingly and was caught up in the sensations that Kate's hands and lips were causing everyplace they touched. Her own timidity was beginning to vanish and she no longer wondered what it would feel like to touch Kate in previously forbidden places. She now knew that it felt wonderful.

Many, many times Kate Ryan would wonder what on earth had possessed her that night. She never questioned why she began making love to Amy, it was what she had wanted for a long time, but she would never discover why she stopped.

"Wait!" Kate disengaged herself from the tangle of arms they had created. "We need to stop this."

Amy looked at her in total disbelief. "But why?" They were the only words she seemed to have left in her vocabulary for the moment.

"Because I love you and I don't ever want you to think this had to do with anything else."

Amy's eyes were enormous for only seconds before they began to fill. "Uh oh, I didn't count on this revelation making you feel the need to cry." Kate began to wish she had gone home hours ago. Arms went around her neck and she held on tight, waiting for the outcome of this latest development.

When Amy was confident that her voice would cooperate, she turned her head just enough so that she could whisper in Kate's ear. "That's such good news because I love you too."

They moved to the couch by mutual, unspoken consent, so that they could be close to one another. Now Amy was in Kate's lap, cradled against her chest and feeling like she had finally found the right place. Kate told her, "I don't know where we go from here, but I'm a little fragile right now…" Amy squeezed the only shoulder she could reach without moving. She never intended to move again. "…and I'm needy, too. You on the other hand…" She moved Amy out, away from her enough so that she could see her face "… must be…" she meant to say "freaking out" or "shaken up" or something along that line but she never got the chance.

"What I am is home." Amy completed her thought for her and snuggled back into the warmth that she always suspected would be Kate Ryan.

"Hmmmm." Her voice hummed against the top of Amy's head where she rested her chin. They sat like that for a long while, enjoying the simple rhythm of two breaths.

It was midnight when Kate rose to leave but almost two a.m. before Amy actually closed the door behind her. The time in between they spent standing at Amy's back door holding each other under the guise of saying goodbye. It was really a matter of learning fit and familiarity.

Finally Amy's voice broke the silence. "Don't you have to meet Harry at 7 o'clock?" A nod was the only answer she got. "Well, that's in five hours, you better get going." She let go of Kate and backed away. It was the hardest thing she ever had to do, just about. She let go of a tremendous sigh and turned off the outside lights.

The meeting with Harry did not go well. The cabinet bases weren't going to be finished on time and she was going to have to have the plumber move a drain under the bathroom sink. Harry miscalculated and it was easier for her to move the drain than have him re-build the vanity.

She was fairly grumpy when she picked Amy up at nine o'clock. Kate was dreading the impending trek to Columbus. As soon as she pulled into the yard, Amy came out to the truck. The smile on Amy's face when she stepped into the truck cab helped a lot though. That was even before she leaned across and placed the briefest of kisses on the corner of Kate's mouth. "My day is getting better already and you just got here." was Kate's grudging admission.

"I can see I'm going to have to work on your mood to make this a bearable ride. What on earth has you so upset this early? Other than the four hours sleep, the purpose of this journey and the necessity of our love remaining unrequited, I mean?"

Kate laughed in spite of herself.

"Why don't you start your day over? Here is your coffee." She handed her driver a travel mug and earned herself another brilliant smile.

"It's impossible to maintain a good sulk with you around." They pulled out of the driveway headed for Columbus.

"It's not a great time to talk about 'us' with all of this hanging over me, but I would at least like to know if you're alright about last night." Kate waited anxiously for a response.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Amy wanted to know. "You weren't kidding were you?"

Kate had to laugh out loud at that one. "NO! Of course not, but it is kind of a stretch for you, I think."

"What? Loving somebody?"

"Sorry, I was wrong to worry that you might have regrets." Kate apologized.

"Oh, I do have regrets."

Kate's head snapped around to study her passenger. A smile slowly crept across Amy's face.

"I regret that I still don't know how it feels to make love with you but I understand why. You were right to slow things down."

Kate was visibly relieved and slightly embarrassed. "How about some music?" She mashed the power button on her CD player and the Indigo Girls started pouring out of the speakers.

"I'm not going to work too hard at trying to convince you of anything Kate, because I can imagine the pre-conceived notions you have been formulating all this time. I would like to say for the record though, that I had nothing to do with this insurance thing. The payments were posted as an operating expense and I questioned the lump sum when it was paid up but that is the sum total of my involvement with it. I swear by all that is precious to me." Connie was telling the truth now, Kate could tell, but it was too late.

"I actually believe you. Can you at least tell me how they might have gotten their hands on this stuff?" Kate tried not to notice how much Connie had aged.

"Jerry had all of your dad's papers pulled from the safe, 'for the lawyers'. It had to have been with all of that because if it had been in accounting anywhere I would have run across it." Connie seemed certain. "There is no telling what all he ended up with, there were a lot of documents. I saw his assistant carrying a storage box full to Jerry's office."

They talked briefly, both being careful not to let the conversation veer off course and onto personal issues. Connie reiterated that although she had known of its existence, she'd had no idea what Jerry had in mind for the 'key man' policy. Connie had given Kate a parting gift. Without even being asked, she offered to sign an affidavit if it was needed. She didn't see Kate to the door.

"Her friend seems nice. We had an uncomfortable conversation, which covered everything we could think of that was of no consequence. Of course, we also avoided the subject of you two and your shared past." Amy laughed.

"That's probably because they think we are together." She pointed to Amy and then to herself to demonstrate the concept. "I let them think it as a point of pride I guess. I hated to tell her that I've been alone these last four years. Besides, your devotion is obvious just in the fact that you were willing to come into this situation with me and confront her." Kate shook off some thought and continued.

"Anyway, she says that she knows it had to have been kept in the safe with the corporate resolution, seal and all that junk. She assumed all of this time that it had been turned over to me." Kate shook her head. "She'll sign if Ricki wants her to."

"Are you OK Kate?" They were in the car and had left the neighborhood Connie lived in.

"No, not by a long shot. I don't think her part in it was supposed to do as much damage as it ended up doing. I didn't really go that deep into all of it with her…"

"I'm sure you're right. In any event, it's time you started to let go of at least some of what she did. Maybe you could start with forgiving what she did professionally and work you way up to what she did to you personally." She looked hopeful.

Kate's mind drifted back to the period that followed her breakup with Connie.

The summer was half over. Kate had been browned by her daily work in the sun. Her body reflected the physicality of her job. Muscled shoulders and arms served as a preview for the long, rock hard legs under worn out jeans. The rips and cuts in the bleached out fabric revealed a darkly tanned and muscled thigh. Another hole near the seat left the blonde sitting at a corner table practically breathless.

Working as a carpenter's helper proved to be backbreaking at first. Kate wheedled and cajoled Ralph Wilson, a middle aged builder in a Conyers subdivision until he had given her a chance. Thinking she wouldn't last a day, he was amused at the reaction of his crew. Ralph was surprised that she was unaware of her beauty and its effect on his men. At the end of the first day, she was still on her feet. Kate was the first one on the job site the next and every day thereafter.

Over time she gained the grudging admiration of her co-workers. Each of them had thrown her the worst jobs, the dirtiest, most physically demanding, grunt work. She met the tasks, head high. Kate was the most reliable crewmember Ralph had. She might be hungover, but she was always there, even in the rain when the others assumed work would be cancelled, rolled over and went back to sleep.

Tonight Kate hooked the heels of her boots onto the rungs of the barstool. She occasionally glanced in the direction of the corner table, trying to decide if it was worth the effort. There was a sparse crowd in the place tonight. An arriving couple caught her attention. The well-endowed strawberry blonde looked vaguely familiar and was smiling directly at the brooding builder. Suddenly it hit her and Kate nodded her recognition at one of her previous conquests.

Meanwhile the blonde in the corner was being totally obvious. Kate was almost bored by the familiar routine. She drained her beer and stood to leave just as the bartender sat another brown bottle on the bar in front of her. "From the blonde over there," and the bartender jerked her head unnecessarily. Kate could have predicted this latest development. She picked up the bottle and walked over to offer her thanks. 'What the hell' she thought. 'I've driven all the way up here anyway.'

"Mind if I sit down?" Good manners forced Kate to pause and wait for the answer they both knew was coming. The blonde wasted no time in leaning across the table to give Kate a better view of her deep cleavage. 'I've played this game too many times' Kate thought as she regarded the offering. 'No wonder I'm so good at it.' She laughed, sparking a smile that was reflected in the face of her table companion.

Brown eyes gazed deep into her own crystal blues. The stranger was trying to ascertain what kind of a person she was 'playing with'. Kate's predatory expression revealed little, but anger was among the ingredients that comprised it. She was mad at herself for coming here, for caving in to some primitive need to feel the warmth of another woman's skin under her fingers. Kate fought it and this time it had taken almost three months for her to weaken. That afternoon, hearing the carpenter's cocky predictions about the 'action' they were going to enjoy over the weekend, she had been reminded of how long she had been without touch in her world.

She had come to the bar early, wanting subconsciously to get it over with. It disappointed her, this need she couldn't quite escape. It was so important that she could only share the act with a stranger. Kate had a cardinal rule about never leaving with the same woman twice. There was no possibility of getting involved that way and she felt safe in her choice of diversions.

The music was beginning to get louder. By the time the beer bottle was empty again Kate found herself being clung to on the dance floor by the scantily clad, buxom blonde. The better it felt to hold and be held, the madder she got at herself for needing such mundane confirmation of her existence. Within an hour, she found herself following a Toyota, driven by the blonde, to an anonymous apartment in Midtown. Kate knew with a bitter certainty that she wouldn't remember the name, face or address of this woman when tomorrow dawned.

It was almost impossible that she had come from that place to this one. She wondered at the trust she felt for Amy and at her own courageous surrender to the diminutive blonde she had fallen for.

Continued in Part 3.