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 5 (Conclusion)

Carol had spoken with Amy twice since the incident with Jack Harris. Martha had requested and been given permission to pass along Amy's new phone number to her office pal. Both times, the conversation had been conservative, which was out of character for the wild red head. Upon Amy's arrival at the office that morning, Carol could see for herself that the young designer was just fine. In her relief she threw her arms around Amy, causing them both to lose their balance.

"I'd swear that was a tear in your eye Carol if I wasn't sure that you're incapable of that much emotion." Amy kidded her friend. It was an odd friendship Amy thought, but Carol's obvious concern and relief genuinely touched her.

Carol's tough face was back in place instantly. She backed away, trying to wipe away the tears in an inconspicuous manner. "I don't know what you mean Amy. Frankly, I'm just relieved to have somebody around to appreciate my wit."

Amy laughed and nodded her head, acknowledging her friends concern. "We need to have lunch, but I'm swamped today. I thought I had been keeping up pretty well from home. I must have been kidding myself." She looked around her office at the various printouts, color charts, glossy photographs and assorted memos.

"Don't let any of this worry you. Remember it's just your job. It's not as important as oh…. the evening you spent at the Ritz with 'a friend' last week?" Amy blushed, which Carol interpreted as an admission of something.

"It's not what you think and I'm going to KILL Martha! Is nothing sacred around here?"

Carol's eyes were sparkling with mischievous intent. "I've been taking your calls while you were out and the hotel called here to confirm your credit card number. You didn't register the name of your guest.". She waited, hoping for some juicy information.

'Thank goodness I didn't register us both! I will have to explain Kate and the rest of this to Carol at some point, but it would be better if they could meet each other first. Hmmm….'

"Tell you what. As soon as I get some of the pressure off," she indicated her desktop, piled high with papers, "we'll all get together for a drink or something. In the meantime try to be patient." Carol grudgingly agreed, unsure why she was having such difficulty prying information out of Amy. Although the petite blonde had always been discreet about her private life, this time she was being downright secretive!

The redhead sighed deeply and excused herself, realizing that she was five minutes late for a meeting she had forgotten about.

Amy shook her head at her comical office pal, aware that Carol had a husband and two beautiful children, whom she worshipped. Carol talked a good game. In truth, Amy had seen her turn down invitations to go bar hopping and 'cruising' the Buckhead nightlife often enough to know the real story. Over time Amy figured out that Carol was all bluff. It was still nice, sometimes, to have someone so interested in her little life. The phone rang, bringing her back into work mode.

Kate was just leaving her cabin on the lake when her cell phone rang, bringing an instantaneous smile to her face. She was completely surprised to find that it was not Amy, but Amy's attorney friend Ricki calling her.

"I'm sorry it's taken so long to work all of the details out Kate, but I think we should be getting together soon. I have surrendered the policy to the life insurance Company and they assure me that the funds will be available within ten days." Ricki expected some kind of reaction, but none seemed to be forthcoming.

"I can give you a call and let you know when the check arrives. All I will need is your signature on some documents and we're done with this unsavory situation."

Kate's voice was halting. "I can't believe you actually worked this out. Frankly, I didn't think you could possible win out in dealing with those slimy bastards. I don't know what to say Ricki. Thank you of course, but so much more than that. I'm just speechless."

"I don't often have that effect on clients. It's kind of nice. You just keep your ears open and I'll get with you in a few days."

The line went dead and it took several moments before Kate thought to hit the disconnect button on her phone. Lost in reaction, incapable of thought, she stood in the yard facing, but not seeing the water of Jackson Lake and her shoulders began to shake. No one could have understood her tide of emotions. Shock, relief, love for her father, and gratitude toward the attorney named only a few of the warring feelings she entertained. Kate's silent sobs turned into primal howls as she let go the pain of betrayal she had been carrying. In one moment, she was suddenly allowed to forgive herself for everything, for all the disappointment with her father and hatred for his business associates. Losing the house no longer mattered, or the endless self-doubt. She even forgave herself the blind trust she felt for Connie.

She hadn't asked and it didn't matter how much was involved in the end, but having money would also be a nice change in her life. There had not been a time in the years since her father's death that Kate didn't have to struggle to make ends meet. It had become a way of life that she accepted with all the rest. Finally, her breaths began to come easier and the tears slowed then stopped. Kate absently walked over and sat on a tree stump near the boathouse, not sure her legs would hold her up at that moment.

Thoughts blew through her mind, sweeping days and months of anguished memories along with them. Kate felt victorious. She possessed a real sense of elation that came from finally being vindicated in her struggle against the injustices of her past. The gurgle of her stomach startled her and she couldn't identify the noise at first. Slowly she returned to the reality of her own hunger, the dinner she promised to start for Amy, the telephone that she still held in her hand.

It was too close to four thirty for her to call Amy and interfere with her conference call. Kate was surprised to find that it was her greatest need for the moment, to hear the unmistakable voice of her mate, but that would have to wait until later. She only hoped that she wouldn't get all emotional in the telling of her news. Kate stood and dusted the seat of her jeans off before heading up the road towards home.

"Honey, I'm home!" Amy greeted Kate loudly as she came into the kitchen. The red light on the stove showed that the oven was on, but the house seemed to be empty. Amy went down the hallway to her bedroom to change clothes. She listened on the way for some clue as to where her friend might be. 'She has to be in the barn. I'll get on my crud clothes and go find her.'

The sky was heavy and gray, threatening rain. Kate hoped it would hold off, at least until the loader work was complete. She arranged to have gravel spread on the raw scar of the driveway by the end of the week, but if the rain was too heavy, the dump trucks wouldn't be able to navigate in the muck. Kate's euphoric mood had taken her on a walk down the road toward Amy's pond. She hadn't planned to go quite as far as she had, but the lightness in her spirit made the distance melt away. Before Kate knew it, she was in sight of the water.

Kate thought she heard a car door slam and looked at her watch. 'Amy! She's home on time!' The tall woman turned and jogged back over the path she had just traveled. Coming into the yard just as Amy exited the barn door. It was amazing the way that both of their faces lit up. When they were within an arm length Kate bent over and gripped Amy around the thighs, lifting her up high above the ground. Kate spun around, holding her friend aloft until they both were dizzy. Laughing, Amy begged for mercy and Kate sat her back on the ground.

"Greetings!" Kate was fairly beaming.

"Well, hello. I'm awful glad to see you too. What went on today to make you so happy? Maybe I can arrange for a repeat tomorrow."

"We got the driveway almost cut and it's looking good. I didn't lose too many trees after all."

Amy started walking toward the house and Kate followed along behind her. "Tell me how it went at the office today?"

The young designer recounted her arrival and the security guard escort. Kate nodded her approval of the arrangement, realizing how much relief she would have felt had she known about it that morning. Amy spoke briefly about the backlog of work that she had begun shuffling through and her conversation with Sybil Hunt. Everything was related in a condensed version, with Amy watching Kate closely for some clue as to the source of her ebullient mood. Kate, for her part, was deliberately keeping Amy in suspense.

"Your friend Ricki called me today."

'Ah hah. There was good news then,' Amy thought and nodded for her to continue. "The insurance company has acknowledged my claim. She got the slimes! They're going to send me a check for dad's insurance."

Amy let out a whoop and rushed to embrace Kate. She was overwhelmed with joy for her very deserving friend. She prayed often that Kate would get a break, just one time and here it was. Her emotions threatened to overrun her. When she could trust her voice to speak, she stepped back. "Fantastic! It is about time something good came out of all of that! How does it feel to finally be vindicated?" She was thrilled at the news and hugged the tall figure again.

"It feels pretty damned good to tell you the truth. I would never have suspected how much it apparently mattered to me. I'm floating on air."

"We have to celebrate of course. Dinner is in the oven, and we have to have champagne to commemorate the occasion." Amy started dragging Kate towards the house.

"If it matters, I'd rather have ice cream than champagne. I've never been crazy about that bubbly stuff."

Amy thought about it for a minute and came up with a compromise. "Frozen Daiquiris will do. You like strawberry, don't you? I'll use the same glasses and it's almost like ice cream. What do you say? Can I entice you?" Kate wasn't in an argumentative mood. She would have gone along willingly with just about anything.

The frozen concoction had a certain novel appeal, but Kate refused the second daiquiri offered her. She really didn't need any help in fanning her celebratory fire anyway; it was in full flame. Amy picked up the Rockdale paper and started folding sheets into geometric patterns. The builder wondered what she was up to but wouldn't ask. When she was satisfied with her efforts, Amy reached toward Kate with one of newspaper objects and placed it on her head. It didn't make much sense until Amy donned her own paper pirate hat and they both laughed at Kate's reaction.

You didn't know I had all this hidden talent did you? Well there are several skills you know nothing about yet." Kate raised an eyebrow and Amy stared at her not backing down a bit.

They finished dinner and Amy stood at the sink, rinsing plates when she asked about the call from Ricki in more detail.

"She really only called to ask me out, the insurance settlement was sort of an afterthought. I told her that you frowned upon letting me date other women."

Amy spun around after the first half dozen words leaving the water running in the sink "I could rent you to her though," she said in a serious tone. In the instant it took for her face to take on an impish look, Kate had no time to react. Before she could comprehend what was happening Amy reached behind her for the sink sprayer and was soaking her astonished friend who remained seated at the table.

When Kate did react, it was lightening quick and she wrestled the sprayer from her playmate. Both of them were soaked and screaming in laughter before a truce was called. The uneasy peace was broken only once when Kate pretended to go for the sprayer again and was tackled. They wound up breathless and soaked, wrestling on the floor for advantage, which Kate ultimately yielded to Amy.

The laughing blonde sat astride her conquered victim, holding Kate's wrists loosely pinned to the floor. Both of them knew that Kate was by far the stronger of the two and could toss Amy off of her whenever she chose. The truth was that Kate was enjoying their playing and didn't want to end it right away.

"Now that I've got you where I want you, I want you to promise that you won't be dallying with other women. I know I can trust you if you give me your word." Kate decided to play stubborn and see what Amy's next move was. She was completely surprised when Amy brought her face down and kissed her. The second kiss was more serious and the third left her breathless. The accumulated time during which she'd been trying to give Amy space came spiraling down like a book falling from the top shelf. It hit her square in her middle and knocked the breath right out of Kate.

"I have a great idea Kate. Why don't we finish up here later? Right now I want you to take me to bed." Amy was done kidding around, that was obvious. Kate's natural response was to ask if she was sure, but something in Amy's gaze told her to shut up and go with it. As they stood, the smoldering look that passed between them began to make Amy a little nervous. She honestly thought everything would be fine and that her desire for Kate would overrule any misgivings remaining in her subconscious. The intensity was too much, though, and she needed to lighten things up.

Amy pulled her hand away when Kate started to lead her out of the kitchen. "There is no such thing between us as conditional love, but I'm afraid I have to insist on one condition in this particular situation." Kate listened, then waited; hoping nothing would spoil this for either of them.

"You will have to take me to the bedroom piggyback, or I'm not going." A smile broke across both of their faces and Kate backed up to a chair so that Amy could stand in it and get aboard. They galloped down the hallway, with Kate doing her best to scare her friend to death, then collapsed into a heap on the beautiful old quilt. Wet clothes were strewn over the floor in virtually no time. All concerns for the fear Amy might associate with nearness dissolved into sighs and moans. Tentative under the circumstances, Kate let Amy take the lead for as long as she could stand it. When she couldn't take anymore, she reached around to squeeze the shapely backside above her and the response her action drew erased all hesitation and concern for both of them.

Six o'clock was cruel in its arrival the following morning. The two slept less than three hours. Their attempt to catch up on some of the intimacy they missed out on had eaten up the hours into pre-dawn. When the alarm screamed, it was Amy who finally moved from her place half-lying on top of her beloved Kate. Her smile came first, remembering juicy bits and pieces of the celebration they ended up having. Next came the regrettable realization that she had to get showered and head into work. She hit the button to quiet the clock and resumed the comfort and warmth of her previous space.

Now Kate made some unintelligible noise as she began to waken. "What time is it?" She didn't hear, or really care for that matter. The smile that split her face was beyond value to the green eyes that beheld it.

"You look worn out, friend." Amy started teasing in hopes of avoiding a grumpy mood.

"Yeah well, I'm older than I look and you really are demanding sometimes." Kate beamed.

When Amy came out of the shower, Kate was digging through the overnight bag that she had been using to transport clothes back and forth from her cabin. "I thought I put another tee shirt in here." She piled wrinkled, unidentifiable articles of clothing on the bed for the second time.

"Here, this one will fit, it's yours." Amy offered. "I don't know why you don't just bring some stuff over here and leave it Kate. There are lots of empty drawers in the other bedroom that you could use. I could empty some in here, if you would prefer that."

All activity stopped and Kate turned slowly to study Amy's face. They were both thinking about the offer that hung in the air between them. It had been stated simply. Kate had been waiting for some indication that she was considered more than a guest in Amy's house. It was hard for two independent and prideful women to pronounce the need to be together, but it had been touched on now, in a roundabout fashion.

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind, Ams?" Kate really didn't want to give her a way out, but knew that in good conscience she had to. This kind of gesture had to come from sound reason, and not just as another byproduct of the celebratory evening.

Amy sat down hard on the bed. "You practically live here anyway, Kate and I see no reason to punish you for it. You've had to remember to take clothes and bring shoes and take laundry. Bring your things, and do your laundry here. You should be comfortable." She quieted and studied the depth of her friend's blue eyes. Kate nodded her acceptance and Amy grinned.

Kate made several unsuccessful attempts to hold down the edges of the blueprints that she'd unrolled on the tailgate of her truck. Every time she moved one hand, the end it had been controlling rolled into the middle. Finally, she had taken the time to locate a hammer and press it into service, placing it in the lower corner of the plans on the edge where all the pages were bound.

When the cell phone bleated and disturbed the silence of the woods around her, she never even looked up. In a fluid motion, she reached into her back pocket and removed the instrument, pushed the appropriate buttons and greeted her caller.

"You're gonna hate me." Amy's voice said without further explanation.

"I doubt it very seriously, but let's talk about it. What's up?" Kate smiled involuntarily. Hearing Amy's voice was enough to brighten her day.

"Mother called." There was a silence. Kate didn't know how long she should wait for Amy to continue and finally decided she was supposed to pull this news from her friend.

"How is your mother Ams?"

"She is still very much the same as always. She wants to bring Nancy to the house Saturday."

Thinking quickly, Kate remembered that Nancy was Amy's older sister. They talked a little about her, but mostly about her children.

"That part isn't the bad part, although I wish I had more notice. Nancy will be bringing Sally from Mobile for a visit. Chris will be on a fishing trip with his father, so you won't get to meet him this time. Of course, Ann will bring the other kids and Mother has decided it would be a great time for us all to get together and have dinner….at our house."

Amy was waiting for some kind of explosion although she had no reason to expect one. Maybe it would have been her own reaction had she allowed herself that luxury.

"It's a doable plan. You've got all week to prepare and I'll help you. You know that surely. Everything will be just fine and you'll get to spend some time with your family."

"Listening to Ann go on about Richard and his sleazy affairs will sicken me a little. Especially if she is still trying to hang on to the bastard in her heart of hearts."

Kate was amazed that there was enough forgiveness in the world to allow Ann to stay married to Richard. She could still feel his finger rubbing the palm of her hand as he passed her the note at Jennifer's recital. 'Looking forward to hearing from me indeed' she thought. "Somebody needs to beat the hell out of that man and bring him into the real world."

"It's pretty pathetic, but what is worse is that Mother encourages forgiveness. A bad husband is better than no husband."

Suddenly it occurred to Kate that her presence would likely not be understood or welcomed at this little reunion. She began laying the groundwork for her disappearance, figuring Amy wouldn't come right out and ask her to stay away for fear of hurting Kate's feelings.

"I could use some time off from you anyway, this will be a good chance for me to get some stuff taken care of at the cabin." Kate kept her tone light, although she didn't feel that way.

"You can't desert me in my hour of need!" The response was immediate and sincere. Kate didn't know where to go with the conversation and just plunged into the middle.

"Amy, I met Ann and she was very polite, but your Mother and Nancy could be another story. I don't want you to be uncomfortable. Besides, they all want some quality time with you and I would feel like an interloper."

"You're part of my life and they all know that we're friends. They know that you've been staying here since the attack. Jennifer adores you and the other kids want their chance to meet you, too. I'm just afraid of what you might think of me after you meet the rest of the loony women in my family."

"Are your sisters as good looking as you?" Kate kidded, trying again to lighten up the conversation.

"Kate, this is no time for levity. I'm having a nervous breakdown here and I expect you to help me!"

"No way. You'll get through this just fine and I'll do whatever you want to help out. Do I need to cut the grass or anything? I'll probably get home before you today, I could take care of some things, just say so."

Calling it 'home' suddenly didn't seem to fit. Kate had been thinking of it as her home and Amy seemed to be leaning that way, too. Suddenly, she was dispossessed and possibly an unacceptable appendage in Amy's life. Kate's mood was starting to slide downhill. She anticipated a full sulk as soon as she hung up the phone.

"I don't know. Whatever you think, but I can do that. The house isn't too bad although I haven't been great about keeping up with the housecleaning lately. At least I have an excuse."

Amy was thinking about the long hours she put into the ad campaign she was working on for Sybil Hunt.

"I wish I was with you now. A hug would probably go a long way toward grounding me. My Mother. The mention of her puts my teeth on edge. Ann is scared to death of her. Nancy is something close to her evil twin. God help me."

"OK, cut the drama. We'll handle this like we handle everything else. I'll see you at home." 'There goes that word again. I guess I'm about to find out whether it's an accurate one or not.'

By the time Amy arrived, Kate had dusted and polished the furniture and was almost done with the vacuuming. Her years of helping Rita keep house for her dad stood her in good stead.

Amy sailed through the door, dropped her briefcase and threw her arms around her tall companion. Kate hit the switch and silenced the vacuum cleaner. "There's the kind of a greeting I could get used to." Kate laughed and returned the hug and added a kiss for good measure. "The place is shaping up. Why don't you feed us while I tackle the bathrooms."

"That hardly seems fair, you've already done so much." Kate wasn't having it, though and she sent Amy off to change clothes and prepare dinner.

The ringing phone interrupted her thoughts. She sprinted to the kitchen to grab the portable. Within moments she was coming back out into the yard, deep in conversation as she walked. Kate couldn't tell what was being discussed but the gist of it seemed to be a change of plans on Saturday. She waited patiently until Amy hung up.

"They want to come for lunch, now. Nancy doesn't like to drive after dark so they want to have an early visit. Ann has volunteered to pick the kids back up on Sunday and get Nancy's back to her."

"This could be a good thing, huh?" Kate was trying to help her develop a positive attitude about the situation.

"I guess we'll at least get it over with early. By the way, it seems that Jennifer has spread the word and Josh and Sally are anxious to meet you. So if you were considering ducking out on me, forget it."

Kate started to argue with her, but the telephone rang and interrupted.

"Hello." Amy felt sure that it would be Ann calling back with more changes in the plan for Saturday. Nothing was said and Amy reiterated her greeting. There was still only silence on the line.

"Is anybody there? Hello!" Amy pushed the disconnect button and her pale face glanced in Kate's direction. "Probably a wrong number." she offered, but Kate could see that her friend was a little upset.

The phone rang again and Kate took it from Amy's hand. "Hello." Her low voice sounded assertive and powerful in Amy's ears. "Hello, who is calling?" Finally a man's voice asked for Ester and Kate told him he had the wrong number. She smiled to Amy trying to reassure her, but the voice she heard sounded vaguely familiar and the hair on the back of Kate's neck stood up. The telephone was quiet for the remainder of the evening, which was a good thing. Discussion of menus, entertainment for the kids, and warnings about Amy's mother took up the hours until bedtime. Two tired women went down the hall together, each with a mental list of things to accomplish before Saturday.

A high-pitched whine tore Kate from a warm and sensual dream. Her inclination was to curse and throw her pillow until she realized she was occupying the same bed that had been a part of her dream. Only her co-star was missing. 'What the hell is that?' Kate raised her head quickly. Now in full battle mode she concentrated. The noise was irritatingly familiar. Finally it registered. 'My gosh! A vacuum cleaner!' She shifted so that she could read the face of her watch. 'Six-thirty! She is obsessed. I will be so glad when this visit is over and life can return to some semblance of normalcy around here.'

Much as Kate hated being disturbed from her slumber, she knew that Amy was on the edge and had been the entire week. She sat up, scratched a particularly itchy spot on her hip and sprang to her feet. Facing today held little appeal to her either. Meeting Amy's mother and her sister, Nancy might possibly be her last choice on a list of ways to spend a perfectly beautiful Saturday. Her presumption that it was in fact a beautiful day was confirmed as she passed the bathroom window and looked out on the cloudless sky and red dawn.

After making the bed to surprise her slightly overwhelmed partner, Kate pulled on the jeans she discarded the previous night and went into the guestroom in search of a clean tee shirt. At Amy's insistence, she brought over some clothes and stashed them in an empty drawer, then two. Kate was still reluctant to co-mingle her things with the ones in Amy's room, feeling that she would be violating her friend's privacy somehow. It was Amy's hope that if she was patient, Kate's attitude would change. A little crowding of her space would be welcomed in her life, but no matter how many ways she said so, Kate would not believe it.

Intent on the back and forward motion of the upright vacuum over the rug in the den, Amy was startled at the sudden silence. She turned quickly to determine what had happened to still the monster's motor and witnessed Kate, smiling in the doorway waving the electrical plug between them. Amy's hand went immediately to her hip, sending the message that she had no time for games. Ignoring the message, Kate closed the distance between them and drew the smaller woman into a strong embrace.

Amy's feet dangled inches above the floor and she began to giggle. "You've lost it now haven't you? The pressure of two Decatur matrons coming here has driven you over the edge, right Ams?" The teasing fueled more giggling. That, and the fact that Kate would not sit Amy on the floor again until she got her answer.

"Put me down, you brute!" Amy tried her best to sound serious but Kate's disheveled appearance and her smart-ass remarks brought on a bout of full-scale laughter.

Kate placed a concerned hand on her forehead as if to check for fever. "How long has mental illness been rampant in your family? You DO know it is six-thirty on a Saturday morning and that I vacuumed that rug at nine o'clock last night?" Amy nodded, beginning to look a little contrite.

"I'm just a little nervous I guess." She smiled weakly.

"Nnnnaaaahhhh. Really?" Kate let go her grip and Amy slid down the length of her body until her feet reached the floor. 'Yow! That was an unplanned little thrill.'

Amy gave her an evil grin. "Do that one more time and I'll lock the door and make you take me back to bed. Hey, that's an idea that has merit, don't you think? We could just pretend to be gone away somewhere." Kate ignored her teasing and started moving in the direction of the kitchen and the coffee she knew she would find there. Refusing to let her go, Amy was literally standing on Kate's feet, just as she stood on her father's feet as a child and 'danced' with him. Kate, never having had the experience, enjoyed the sensation of having her friend move with her in perfect synchronization. Managing to get them both there without incident, the tall beauty was rewarded with a grateful kiss and an apology for the early morning disturbance.

"I couldn't sleep, I guess." Amy absently poured coffee for them both.

"Well, then, there's no need in the rest of us sleeping is there? After all, I for one live to serve my little master."

"Little? You better watch it! I know how to hurt you where you live!" She did too. Kate stared into her eyes, lost again, still, maybe for always. Sensing her ascent into a serious, emotion filled place she didn't need to go, Kate leaned in and kissed the lips she'd savored in her dream.

"I was having the best dream, is all. You know I don't mind getting up early. It doesn't bother me at all. It's just that this one was really something!"

Amy smiled at her, getting her drift completely and understanding it. She'd had a few of those herself lately. "Tell me about it sometime and maybe we can make it a reality." She was issuing a challenge.

"But you don't have a trapeze bar, or a Harley Davidson, Ams." Kate looked innocent, or tried, but Amy's reaction brought laughter she couldn't fend off.

"You! You love to try and shock me don't you? I'm not nearly so naïve as you think."

"Oh, really," Kate stated with attitude. "Well I can't wait to test you on this issue, but not right now. I've underslept and I have guests coming in a few hours."

Amy's attention had been completely diverted for the few minutes they had been drinking coffee. Now the panic returned to her eyes and Kate wished she hadn't brought it up, even in jest.

By her own admission, Kate had never been a cook, but she proved to be an able assistant all morning. Many of the ingredients Amy intended to use in their lunch had to be peeled, chopped or diced. Kate took on the job willingly. She had just put away the cutting board in fact when she heard a car pull up in the yard and turned to notify Amy. Her friend obviously heard it too, because the look on her face fell someplace between panic and disgust.

"Of course they're an hour early. Can you believe my mother, who crammed impeccable manners down our throats all of our lives, shows up an hour early!" Amy snatched the dishtowel apron from her waistband and dashed toward the hall. "Please stall them Kate, I have to get changed. I look scary and I'm just about to go on trial."

"I think you look positively radiant and will testify to it in a court of law if necessary." Amy didn't even smile at the levity. Kate began to understand how stressed her friend really was. "Don't worry about a thing, take your time and I'll hold them off."

"Knock, Knock," the voice was familiar Kate realized, and not all that different from Amy's. Blindfolded, she would doubt her own ability to distinguish Amy's voice from her mother's. Then her sister Nancy spoke up, further complicating matters with another echoed tone and timbre to add to the mix.

Trapped in the center of the kitchen floor, Kate tried to relax and followed her instincts. "Good morning!" She extended a hand that both of the women looked at as if it held a poisonous snake. "I'm Kate Ryan. I've really been looking forward to meeting you." 'I hope I'm not struck down for that one' she chastised herself for the bold lie that sprung from her mouth. She dropped her hand to her side.

"Where's Amy?" Mrs. Ingram asked. No attempt was made to hide her irritation at being greeted by a stranger.

A hint of recognition began to surface on Mrs. Ingram's face. "Oh yes, you're the friend. Amy said you're an architect I believe."

"If she did, it's untrue I'm afraid. I'm just a run of the mill general contractor. I have entertained aspirations of becoming an architect in my past, but unfortunately circumstances would not allow it." Nancy was looking up at the tall woman as if Kate was speaking a foreign language. She was a little taller than Amy was, and her hazel eyes were reminiscent of Amy's too, but there the similarities ended.

"You live in Mobile, I understand. I've heard it's a beautiful city." 'I've also heard it's snobby and pretentious' she thought to herself.

Mrs. Ingram looked things over on the stove while Nancy expounded on how much her family loved Mobile and all it's Old World charm. She gave a little speech that sounded like she memorized it from a travel brochure. Kate listened politely, nodding. Just as Nancy's monologue began to wind down, two beautiful blonde children came jostling through the door. They spotted Kate's imposing figure and Jennifer wasted no time in greeting her warmly with a bear hug around Kate's thighs.

"You two could be your Aunt Amy's children, you look so much like her. Hi. Jennifer." She turned to the other child and introduced herself. "I'm Kate." She extended her hand and the young girl stepped forward to take it.

"I'm Sally. Your eyes are so pretty. I've never seen anybody with eyes that color."

Laughter at her back caused Kate to start then breathe a sigh of relief. She'd had no idea how to respond to Sally's observation. Amy's arrival preempted the necessity of doing so.

"Hello mother; Nancy." She crossed the room and exchanged air kisses with the two. Kate was amused. She always wondered exactly what people meant by 'air kisses'. It was a funny sight to her. "Did you meet my friend Kate?" Confirmation was offered as everyone took a seat at the kitchen table and the three Ingram women began to verbally circle each other like opponents in a fight. Kate had the presence of mind to offer iced tea to the crowd and everyone accepted. Amy's was delivered with a whispered warning about consuming too much caffeine.

In virtually no time, the two little girls were bored with the adult's conversation. It was completely understandable to Kate, because she was, too. "I spent the night with Grandmother and I have already heard all of this." Jennifer wasn't whining, exactly. They detached themselves from the group and started their own conversation.

"Want to go out and see the horses?" Kate's suggestion drew immediate and grateful response. She held up one finger, asking them to give her a minute. Kate waited for the conversation to offer a polite break-in point, but when none came, she tired of it and simply interjected her request. She was waved away by the pre-occupied women.

Since Kate was standing near the kitchen door, it was an easy task for her to cuff a shiny red apple and hold it suspended behind her back in one hand. She shifted it up and down to make sure Jennifer saw it on her way out the door. Smiling brightly, Jennifer took it and scooted into the yard. Sally, wanting to ask questions, but not daring to do so, followed suit. By the time Kate had her apple and joined them in the yard, Jennifer explained to her cousin that Amy wasn't a strong advocate of giving apples to 'the girls' on a regular basis. She contended that it spoiled them. Kate knew that her friend wouldn't mind and making the little girls a part of her conspiracy cemented their loyalty and added to their fun.

Inside, Ann was on the phone to say she was running a little late. Mrs. Ingram, seemed to be questioning her youngest daughter at length about the current state of her impending divorce. Amy overheard bits and pieces and steeled herself, knowing her time in the hot seat was coming. Nancy, in an obvious attempt to take up the slack for her occupied mother, began nosing in Amy's business. Without so much as a raised eyebrow, she blithely suggested that Amy resign from her position at Walton & Hanley.

"I have no intention of giving up my career Nancy. It isn't something I do for amusement, anyhow you know." Amy was on the brink of losing her temper. Half of Nancy's statements were her own, but her mother planted at least half.

"I just don't understand why you didn't ask for alimony. Steve would have gladly…"

Amy couldn't let this particular remark even be completed. "There is no way I could have accepted money from Steve. After all, I'm the one who asked for the divorce. There's no need to drag up ancient history anyway." She hoped the subject would change soon, otherwise controlling her temper was going to be quite a job.

"It would just be nice if you didn't have to go back downtown." It was more of an "I told you so" thing from Nancy. She had always contended that Amy should find a nice man to take care of her. In fact, her attitudes mirrored their mother's so closely that having them both in her home was emotional overkill. There wasn't an ounce of reason between them when it came to the subject of Amy's independence and happiness.

"Well, you look fantastic! You must have put that entire trauma behind you now. I see you had an alarm installed." She was studying the keypad on the wall near the phone.

"Kate did that for me the very next morning. She suspected that I would need it, and she was right." Amy had her back to them and permitted herself a little smile at the thought of her caring friend.

"What's her story anyway? Mother says she is staying here?"

Amy's back stiffened. She promised herself all week that she would not be defensive about Kate's presence. It would make matters easier if they would welcome Kate.

Mrs. Ingram hung up the phone and re-joined the discussion at the kitchen table. "Ann should be here by twelve-thirty. Richard was late getting Josh home from the soccer game this morning."

"When exactly WAS the last time Richard got anything right?" Amy smirked.

Her mother started to defend the soon to be ex-brother-in-law, but Amy's expression warned her off. Amy listened to Ann's troubles, blow by blow and as far as she was concerned, his was an indefensible position.

Things were going better in the barn. Kate quartered the apples with her pocketknife and the little girls stood on the stable stool to let the horses share them. "Will Aunt Amy let us ride, do you think?" Sally was hopeful, Jennifer looked certain.

By the time Ann arrived, Amy needed reinforcement. She watched the car pull up from her vantagepoint at the sink and excused herself to go and greet her younger sister. As soon as she stepped outside, her shoulders straightened and she took several deep breaths. Smiling at Ann, she approached the car. "I'm glad you're here," she admitted candidly. Ann was glad to be wanted anywhere and said so. "They're on a roll in there. I'm in no hurry to go back." Amy laughed, knowing that Ann understood. The two of them were often allies out of necessity.

"Hey Josh! You've grown another foot!" Amy observed.

"The girls are in the barn with Kate if you want to join them, Josh." He took off like a shot. "You have gorgeous children Ann. It makes me want one of my own." She looked wistfully after Josh. The kitchen door opened and Nancy appeared, beckoning them into the house. "We might as well get this over with." She squeezed Ann's shoulder and they went in.

Five adults and three children crowded Amy's kitchen table a bit, but she never believed in a formal dining room. To her mind, dining was a social event and there wasn't supposed to be anything formal about it. Kate had been seated at one end of the table and Amy at the other. The three children were closest to Kate, and she was managing to engage them in conversation, single-handedly. The table conversation ranged from Sally's impending softball tryouts to who would get the first taste of the proposed ice cream.

Meanwhile Amy held her own with the adults on her end. They agreed that certain subjects were taboo in the presence of the children. Chiefly among these was Ann's divorce and all of the horrors it entailed.

Lunch was delicious even by Mrs. Ingram's admission. Kate was pleased at her friend's reaction to the compliments that her meal was receiving. In fact, Kate thought everything was going splendidly right up until she heard Nancy's recommendation from out of the blue that Amy sell the farm and move back into Decatur, "closer to Mother". She insinuated that the lonely existence Amy was living in the country was having negative effects on her.

The young designer took a deep breath and Kate winced, waiting for the explosion that seemed to be forthcoming.

"Actually, there is a strong possibility that Kate will be moving in here permanently so I don't think loneliness will be a problem. Besides, Nancy, this is my home by my own choice and it always has been." She smiled grimly, indicating that the subject was closed. Fortunately the three adults were all focused on Amy's response and didn't notice the dropped-jaw expression on Kate's face. Recovering quickly, the builder re-joined the conversation with the kids just as Amy caught her eye and made a silent apology.

It was early afternoon on Sunday and the family's invasion was over. The visit with them had been a success. The house was put back together and all should have been right with her world. Kate wanted to ask a lot of questions but for the first time since they met, Amy went into a brooding mood. Ironically, this new personality trait was one Kate hardly knew how to deal with from the receiving end. Kate's cell phone rang and she pulled it from her back pocket. Charlie's voice was an unexpected surprise.

"Hey Kate. I didn't see you around this morning when I took care of the horses, but I wanted to remind you about the hay delivery."

"Thank goodness you called. This IS Sunday and I had forgotten all about it. Do you know what time he'll be here?"

Charlie passed along all the information he had. The farmer who delivered Amy's hay agreed to leave his trailer overnight, giving Amy, Kate and Charlie a chance to get it unloaded into the loft in the barn. At first, Kate thought it was really bad timing, what with the Ingram invasion being so recently over. Now she decided that it might be good for Amy to spend a couple of hours submerged in mindless physical labor. Kate went in search of her friend to let her know the plan.

Charlie and Kate were on the bed of the trailer, hooking up the bails one by one. They took turns hoisting them on the rope pulley. Amy's job was to grab on with the bale hooks and pull the cargo in through the open door. Each time the doorway became crowded, Amy would call a halt and stack the bales against the outside walls of the barn while the crew below rested. Half way through the hundred-bale load, Kate began using her breaks on the rope to go up the ladder and help her friend.

"I can handle this, you know." Amy's indignant remark rolled right off of Kate.

"I'm sure you can, but it's easier on all of us if we help each other. Besides, it's not so hard for me to lift these." Nothing she said seemed to appease Amy, or lighten her mood. Kate could see from her flushed face, and the perspiration running down her neck that the heat and the strain of the task were taking their toll on Amy.

As Kate stacked the last of the heavy bales of Bermuda and started for the ladder, she stopped and did a quick count. "We've got about twenty-five more to go. Would you like to switch jobs and go down to help Charlie?"

Amy's gloved hands went to her hips. The threadbare jeans she wore were snug. The plain white tee shirt with the sleeves rolled up was damp with perspiration and hid nothing. Stray bits of hay clung to her hair and upper body. Kate studied her, admiring the picture of a simple farm girl, and a very sexy one at that.

"I'm not in the mood to have my thinking done for me this afternoon. Why don't you just send the rest of this stuff up here so we can get done?" Her tone was icy and the words stung Kate. Her eyes grew cold in response, but only for the moment it took for her to put it together.

"Understood. I guess your mother and Nancy have bossed everybody around enough for one weekend, huh?" She wanted to let Amy know that she was sympathetic but she also wanted her to direct her anger at the correct parties.

Tears threatened to spill from deep green eyes. The anger that flared faded just as fast as it developed. She started to speak but Kate held up a hand to stop her. "I'm sorry they have upset you so much. I guess it's out of the question for us to move to Oregon where they can't bug you, huh? " She took a step in Amy's direction, but stopped herself, remembering Charlie was in the yard and easily within view. She didn't think Amy would like a public display.

"Let's just get this done, so you can rest. Maybe we can talk about this some more." Kate suggested. Amy nodded and the tall figure disappeared down the ladder. Kate spoke to Charlie in low tones as she approached the trailer. "Let's get this finished buddy. She's not feeling all that great and she's too stubborn to admit it. If she's up there much longer, I'm gonna end up losing my head."

"I know what you mean. Women!" Charlie responded sympathetically.

Kate had to laugh.

Kate took up her position on the cool tile of the bathroom floor with her back resting against the tall side of the claw-footed tub. Their task completed in the barn, she ran a tub for Amy in hopes that a long soak would help her friend unwind.

The young designer lay back with her eyes closed and relished the feel of the water that covered her up to her chin. The wineglass dangling from her fingers had been another part of Kate's plan. Amy refused it at first, but Kate told her she hated to drink alone and hoisted a brown bottle of Southpaw in a silent toast. The two women often had long conversations under these circumstances. Occasionally, both of them would occupy the tub, but tonight was more about getting to the bottom of Amy's anger and frustration. They needed to talk.

"Why don't you tell me what it is that pisses you off the most." Kate began. She hoped that it would open up the door and give her friend an opportunity to vent. Amy talked all around the subject, bringing up every minor trespass there had ever been between her and her sister Nancy. It seemed to Kate as if she was building to something and she listened patiently.

"None of them have any idea who I really am Kate. Do you realize how hard it is for me to finally realize that? I'm not sure if I can ever accept it."

Kate thought hard for a minute. She knew what she wanted to say and felt it needed saying. The problem was in whether Amy was ready to hear it or not. "Amy, you have to be fair. How can you expect them to know who you are when you are only just now figuring a lot of that out yourself? They love you and maybe it's misguided, but they want good things for you."

"They want their interpretation of good things for me. What about what I value? How can Nancy and I be so different? Honestly, Kate, I feel like she's speaking a foreign language. Mother is worse, of course, but at least she's part of a different generation. My sister has no excuse for her archaic attitudes."

"Ann seems to understand and really care about your happiness." Kate offered this weak but positive observation.

"Yes, she does." Amy was thoughtful for a moment. "Ann knows that she isn't perfect. I guess that's part of why she is less judgmental than the other two. Sadly, they are using themselves as the yardstick to gauge the success and failure of the rest of us."

"What other measure can they use? It's all they know and as long as they continue to exist in a fishbowl, separate from the real world that won't change. I think you have to forgive them for it."

Kate heard a huge sigh and the motion of water lapping against the tub sides. Amy's voice was strange, as if she didn't realize that she was saying what she was thinking. "I wonder why I let them get to me. They're not really a part of my life, except for the odd visit and the occasional phone call. It's my fault really, for empowering them to hurt me. I love them, but I wouldn't pick any of them out of a line-up.

"There is nothing for them to hold over me. I can live without their affection, acceptance and approval. I need to remember that and let it go." She leaned over the side of the tub and sought eye contact with Kate. "I think I should tell them about us Kate. What do you think?"

"Now there's a question for you. I wouldn't be too hasty about making that information public. I'm not so sure that you, yourself are completely comfortable with it, yet." Amy raised a questioning eyebrow. "Well, you aren't. I almost hugged you in front of Charlie today, but stopped myself because I assumed you wouldn't like that."

"I admit that I still have a problem with public affection, but you can't take it personally, Kate."

"Amy, it IS personal, very personal. It's only out of respect for your feelings that I try so hard to keep it under wraps."

"I think you misunderstand at least part of this issue Kate. I never have been one to participate in public displays, not in high school, not when I was married to Steve, never. It's just not something I'm comfortable with." Kate turned and stared wide-eyed. Amy held up her hands to keep Kate from interrupting her train of thought. "The taboo of being affectionate with another woman makes it a bit harder I admit, but isn't at the heart of it."

Kate was relieved with this new information. "I wish I had known all of this before now. It makes it easier. I still don't know what you would hope to accomplish by telling your mother, though."

It was hard for Amy to explain, but it was important to her that Kate understand. "My dad was a country lawyer and a country lawyer's son. We're plain people. My sisters and I were never debutantes. Our family hadn't been a part of Atlanta society for a hundred years but Mother thinks we have. She has thought it so long in fact that she believes it. Right and wrong are no longer simple enough to be dictated by social customs. Either way, nobody really cares about all of that calling card crap anymore, anyway.

"All these years of defending myself and my life have only served to make me bitter towards her and that is really wrong. Somehow she still has the idea that there's a chance that I will coalesce and become the daughter she wants me to be." Amy stopped to catch her breath and look hard at Kate. Deciding that she seemed to be following her, Amy sighed deeply and continued.

"If I told Mother about us she might understand that all her dreams of me finding a man to take care of me, are moot. She might even stop bemoaning the fact that I foolishly got rid of the last one." Amy snickered at the absurdity of the whole situation.

Kate was thinking hard, now. "That makes perfect sense but will she hear you if you tell her? She doesn't seem to be very good at listening."

"Probably not, but I will know that I said it, plainly and without apology. She needs a large dose of reality and not just for my sake. Mother is making Ann's life more miserable with her meddling, too." Amy shook her head hard. "That's another talk show altogether. The thing is, I'm planning on you being around for a long time and she might as well know that now."

They both smiled when Kate offered, "I'm not going anywhere even if I have to fight your Mom. Think I'll win?"

"I'll bet on you."

Kate offered to refill Amy's wineglass, and she accepted but decided to get out of the tub. "I'm getting all pruney. Why don't we sit in the den?"

Within ten minutes, Amy came into the den and joined her friend on the sofa. She was wearing Kate's threadbare jersey and a hole near the bottom of it revealed a good portion of Amy's hip and dark panties. The effect it had on Kate went completely unnoticed.

Amy had been stewing off an on all day about the surprise announcement she made at lunch the previous day. "I'm sorry I felt the need to tell my family that we're going to be living together."

"There's no need to apologize even if you told them that just to get them off your back about living alone. By the way, IS that why you told them that?"

It was a valid question. Amy didn't know how to convey to Kate that in her mind they already lived together, at least to an extent that allowed her to make the claim comfortably. Her apology had more to do with publicly announcing it, without Kate's consent. Amy sipped from the wineglass and sat it on the table in front of her. She took Kate's hand in her own and met her gaze.

"As much as it scares me to draw the parallel, I know I'm a little like my mother. I've wanted us to be together for a while so I've convinced myself that it's factual. Now I want them to get used to the idea and start treating you civilly. If things work out the way I hope they do, you'll be here when they visit. You'll answer the phone sometimes when they call. You'll come to Christmas dinner with me."

Amy added, "It's what I want Kate, but I need for you to tell me what you want."

She'd thought about it at odd moments through the visit with Amy's nieces and nephew. Kate tried to determine how different it would be from their current situation if she moved in. The difference would be purely psychological she decided, because she had in fact lived with Amy full time since the incident with Jack, weeks before.

"I'm not real experienced with this sort of thing." Kate's nerve faltered but she took a deep breath and continued. "My track record with regards to relationships pretty much stinks. I've been alone for a long while and I've been independent all my life out of necessity. Knowing all of that and other lesser shortcomings, if you're still willing to try this, so am I."

Kate stood in the yard and stretched, nearly spilling the coffee in her travel mug. The cooler temperature signaled summer's end, which was a welcomed relief to her. She was waiting to say goodbye to Amy who indicated that she was almost ready for the second time.

Blue eyes scanned the yard, enjoying the filtered light on the barn and the tree line. Something seemed out of place, but Kate could not put her finger on it. Finally, a white rectangle of paper stuck under the wiper blade of Amy's Explorer caught her eye.

She drew closer for a better look and saw Amy's name scrawled across the envelope. It was only three letters but Kate instinctively knew it meant trouble. Her mind went on full alarm and she glanced around her nervously. She set the mug down on the hood of the car and pulled the envelope open.

Kate's soul fell down a sliding board. She scanned the bold words on a white note card and ended at the signature of Jack Harris.

"Are you going back in the house?" Amy's voice startled her. Kate turned and shook her head 'no', but her face was bloodless. "What is it?" Amy noticed the paper her friend held in one hand, the envelope in the other. Understanding registered on her face and she steeled herself to ask the next question. "What does it say?"

Somehow Kate crossed the yard and stood directly in front of the younger woman. Amy looked up at her and Kate wanted to save the situation somehow. All she could do was hold the paper between them and read the message.

"Amy, I've missed you. Wanted to drop in for a visit, but it looked like you had company. I'll try again some other time. I really need to see you."

The signature was superfluous. "Now he knows where I live and he's been here, but when?" Both of them understood that it t didn't really matter when. They wordlessly walked back into the house and Amy sat down heavily in a kitchen chair. She was in a state of shock.

Reassurance was what she really needed, but Kate was still trying to make some rational comment. She was struggling with her own stunned reaction, and feeling like she had somehow failed to protect Amy.

They argued back and forth about Amy going on in to work. It was finally decided that she would go, but that Kate would drive her. It would at least give the young designer a chance to calm her nerves before facing a workday. They rode a while in uncomfortable silence. Kate had hold of her friend's hand the entire time. When Amy spoke, it was as if she were pronouncing the dialog of an internal argument. "If I let him run me away from my job the next thing you know, I'll be giving up the house. I have to confront him." She looked up for confirmation and the stoic expression on Kate's face told her that she was right. Neither of them liked the idea very much, but it was the logical progression to follow.

"He knows where you live and obviously isn't planning to honor your request to leave you alone. I'd say that you're absolutely right. The question is what will it take to convince him? What threat can you level against a man like that to make a dent in his thick skull?"

"I can't answer that, but we'll just have to figure it out." They rode the rest of the long way lost in thought. Kate dropped Amy at the lobby doors that fronted on Peachtree Street. It was a loading zone and fortunately they had driven her truck so she was able to hit her flashers and pause long enough to let her passenger out without being questioned. Amy caught the handle of her briefcase and put her hand on the door. In a move that surprised them both, she leaned across the seat and kissed Kate soundly on the lips. "Thanks for the ride. I'll call you later. I love you."

The words were potent, but the gesture blew Kate away. In the heart of the city, in the busiest part of the day, and in plain sight of dozens of people, Amy Ingram made a proclamation. Kate heard it, loud and clear.

The discovery of Jack's note caused enough of a delay in Amy's arrival that morning so that the office was in full swing when she arrived. She immediately sought out Carol although she didn't know why until she found her.

Carol was already in her office and her greeting was warm. She was about to add her usual sarcastic brand of humor when Amy burst into tears and Carol responded by taking the young woman into her arms. Startled, to say the least, she led Amy into her office and closed the door so that they wouldn't be disturbed. The redhead sat beside Amy on the loveseat in front of her desk and continued to gently rock her as if she were one of her children. Amy pulled herself together, finally and took the Kleenex offered her.

"I'm sorry, you must think I've lost my mind, coming in here like this."

"I think something is terribly wrong friend and you're not leaving here until I found out what that is. We'll fix it, but it's time you let me in on what has you so upset."

The facts didn't sound nearly so devastating when Amy said them out loud. "It's not just this latest thing, Carol. It's the whole mess and the way he refuses to let this thing go. I didn't realize it had gotten to me this badly though. I'm sorry I lost it. I guess I've been trying to maintain a solid front for Kate's sake. I've caused her enough worry as it is.

"Kate is my friend, Carol. She has been staying with me since all of this started. In fact it looks like she's going to be living with me permanently."

"She's the reason you've been smiling so much lately, isn't she?" Carol smiled herself as she asked this question. Amy was obviously surprised and swallowed hard before responding.

"Yes, she is. I've wanted to tell you, but frankly I didn't know how you might take it. How did you know?"

"As I said, every time you've mentioned her name, your face has positively lit up. I'm not easy to fool when it comes to these things. I'm a mother, remember." She whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Don't tell anybody, though. I want them to continue thinking I'm a wanton woman."

Amy backed away from Carol and blew her nose noisily. "Why didn't you say something? You've never been bashful about meddling in my personal life before." They both laughed.

"This is something delicate. I've learned that from working with Sam. I had to wait for you to come forward with it."

A blonde eyebrow shot up. "You mean Sam is...?"

Carol nodded. "Of course! Why do you think we get along? He loves strong women and I need someone who'll tell me the truth about my wardrobe. He polices me and lets me know if I go over the top." They laughed again.

Amy didn't know what to say or how to feel. This new information and her own confession was an overwhelming combination when mixed with her reaction to the love letter from Jack. "I suddenly feel like I've been beaten up." She wiped her eyes again. It was obvious that she'd been crying. Carol told her so and suggested that she stay put for a while longer to give her face a chance to return to normal.

"You don't want to be answering a lot of questions out there." She indicated the office outside of her door. "What are you going to do about this with him, Amy?"

It was a frightening question with no easy answer. The two women talked for a short while, throwing around ideas much as they would if they had been working on a client's project. Carol thought she should talk to Tom Hanley about the possibility of moving her office to her house. "He knows where I live, though. It won't solve anything." Amy protested.

"Sure it will. You have a lot more control of that environment than you do of this eight story building and all of downtown Atlanta. Put up gates at the end of your driveway. Turn your alarm on and shoot anybody who sets it off!"

"Mr. Hanley can't let me do that. If he did, he'd have to do the same for a lot of other people in order to be fair."

"They haven't had their safety threatened. They haven't been nearly raped by one of his employees." She gave her points a few moments to sink in. "Don't forget it was you who sold Landers on this agency. It was also you that blew them away on the 'Old Timey Toys' thing. Tom Hanley is too smart an operator to risk the possibility of losing you."

Carol could tell that Amy was thinking about what she said. "I might just talk to Mr. Hanley and see what he says, but I don't know how I could work unsupported from my house."

"That's easy enough. I'll volunteer to come out there and help you."

She was on hold. The morning passed quickly, and Amy had actually gotten some work done. Only now did her mind return to her conversation with Kate and the one with Carol. They were both right. She had to confront Jack once and for all. Regardless of the outcome of that meeting, Amy would never feel the same about her job as long as she continued to work in the offices on Peachtree. 'Maybe I should try to see Mr. Hanley. All he can do is say no.' "Mrs. Hunt can speak with you now." Amy turned her attention to her client.

Carol let Martha in human resources know that Jack somehow acquired Amy's address and about the suggestion she made that morning. Likewise, Sam had been filled in and told Carol to count on him if they needed a third person to fill out the team working from Amy's home. It would mean driving to the country from Midtown where he lived, but he liked Amy and adored Carol. He would have gone to just about any lengths for the two of them.

A brief conversation with Kate yielded immediate support for Carol's idea. Amy reminded Kate that it would often mean an invasion of her privacy, especially on days when the builder was able to stay at home and work herself. Kate assured her that it was a very workable plan. She was also relieved that Carol offered Amy easy acceptance when she learned about Kate's role in the designer's life. "I like her already, Ams."

"Remember you said that when she's leveling sarcasm at you. Her sense of humor is almost as twisted as yours." Secretly, Amy was relieved to have someone to talk to about her relationship with Kate. Carol had already promised a chat session in the immediate future. She was dying for details.

Jerry, the head of design, had been brought into the circle and stated plainly that he would rather work out the details of moving Amy's office home than lose her altogether. He didn't see that there were any other alternatives or any reason not to beat the hell out of Jack Harris when he saw him. Amy appreciated the show of support and loyalty they were all exhibiting.

All that remained was to sell Tom Hanley on the idea. It turned out that he was not in town, but arrangements were made through his secretary for him to call Amy at three o'clock from Seattle. It was approaching two thirty and she was getting nervous.

'Maybe I'm over reacting to all of this. I'm turning the world upside down because of a note Jack left on my windshield. He might have had someone else leave it, even.' She tried hard to convince herself of many things, but she knew that if he didn't deliver the note himself, he arranged to have it done. Amy thought she had put it out of her mind, but as she struggled with herself an image of Jack's eyes as he held her pinned to the Explorer floated into focus. She suddenly remembered the feel of his mouth crushed against her face and it made her wretch.

It should have been easier. There was no answer and all she had to do was leave a message, but Amy's hands were shaking when she put the phone down. It had been Jack's voice on the recording. She could suddenly remember the smell of whiskey and sweat on him.

Amy thought all along that time would take care of her anxieties about Jack Harris and the dangers he introduced her to. It wasn't happening. She wasn't getting used to watching out the windows, or listening for footsteps behind her. Most of the time she wasn't even aware of her own level of fear, until she was among other people. Only then did she feel safe. It seemed like a curse to a woman who valued her solitude highly.

"This is Amy. I need to talk to you Jack. I'd like to meet you, either here at the office or someplace downtown. Please call me at work. You know the number I'm sure." A simple conveyance and yet she felt sick and had to put her head down on her desk.

Input from Kate and Carol convinced the designer that she had to meet him in a public place. One or both of her friends would be present for the meeting, but that point was still being debated. Kate was too involved. She wanted to beat the hell out of Jack, but they all knew that wouldn't solve anything. Carol leaned less toward physical violence, but wouldn't have minded watching someone else hurt the pervert.

Things had begun to look pretty good to Amy. Tom Hanley had been understanding and later enthusiastic about her proposal. He had no problem relocating Carol full time and Sam part time as a liaison between the downtown and this new satellite office. Amy was overwhelmed by the show of support from all of them.

Carol had come out to the farm to offer her input about what would be needed in their new office. She had kidded Amy about meeting Kate and telling her all sorts of stories from Amy's past. Amy had been anxious about bringing Carol home, but she hit it off with Kate right away. They had Amy blushing to her toes within minutes. There was no reticence on Carol's part to accept Amy's living arrangements and all three women breathed easier once that was established in person.

Kate had taken on the projects necessary to turn the home office into a functional full-time one for Amy and her co-workers. Fortunately, the rooms in the old farmhouse were huge and admitted plenty of natural light. Shelving was needed and some work surfaces other than the two desks would also be required. In a remarkable demonstration of her skills, Kate had all of the requirements worked out on paper within twenty-four hours. Upon approval, she went to work under the shed, cutting, assembling and finishing the components she designed. Within a week, Walton & Hanley's Covington office was ready to do business.

Now all Amy had to do was confront Jack and put the situation behind her. It sounded like a simple plan, but the waves of nausea swept over her again. The phone rang, startling her.

"I thought you'd never call. How are you Amy?"

It was Jack. She couldn't believe he responded so quickly to her message and said so. "I didn't expect to hear from you so soon, Jack. We need to talk. This whole situation has gotten out of hand."

He agreed with her, but for different reasons, she was sure. "Why don't we meet for a drink?" She should have expected he'd suggest a bar. It was the perfect environment to help him gather his courage, no doubt. At that moment, she decided that Kate would be there. Amy knew that no harm would come to her with Kate present.

"I'll meet you at Colony Square. Houlihan's OK with you?" It wasn't a negotiable point and they both knew it. Jack agreed and Amy once again watched her shaking hand put the telephone into its cradle. She decided to giver herself a few minutes to calm down before calling Kate and updating her. Carol would want to hear the latest development as well.

It hadn't been the least bit convenient for Kate to walk off the job site on such short notice. It didn't matter to her and that came across clearly to the foundation crew boss. She would have done anything necessary, including sacrificing the contract, to be there when Amy confronted Jack Harris. They had never met, but Kate distinctly remembered hearing his voice when she answered the phone in Charleston. That seemed like ten years ago at least. She was also too familiar with the responses he caused in Amy each time he tried to bulldoze his way into her life. Nothing would please Kate more than taking her fists to the slime.

Carol and Kate met and liked one another immediately. It had become a standing joke whenever they spoke to consider potential weapons that each of them would like to use on Amy's tormentor. Thus far, they had discussed the obvious, guns, knives, flame-throwers. They were working their way through less predictable choices now like claw hammers, tire irons, poisons and shredders. The game was their way of trying to manage the anger they felt toward Jack Harris.

Her limited knowledge of downtown Atlanta was unwelcome for the first time as Kate struggled to find a way to get into the parking decks off Peachtree. Twice she nearly turned the wrong way down a one-way street and the traffic was beginning to wear on her already unraveling nerves. Finally, she spotted the marker out in front of Colony square that pointed the way to the below ground parking and pulled in. Now all she had to do was find Amy before Jack did.

It had been agreed that the two women would meet a half-hour before Jack was expected. Kate wanted to be sure that she had time to get there and get Amy calm before his arrival. Carol insisted on accompanying Amy from the office and staying at her side until Kate's arrival. She would have liked to be there for the entire meeting, but communicating with Jack would be difficult enough without a gallery of spectators. Under no circumstances would Amy be allowed to meet him without Kate's presence. That had not been a negotiable point for any of them.

Kate's pulse was racing as she sprinted up the ramps of the parking decks. She might have waited for the elevator, or even taken the glass-enclosed stairs at the center of each level, but her impatience forced her to retrace the path she entered by. It was the quickest way to get to her friend and the agreed upon meeting place in the restaurant's lobby.

Being on foot left her at a clear disadvantage. Every time a car entered the dimly lit levels Kate had to move between two parked vehicles to get out of their way. It gave her a clearer picture of the circumstances Amy encountered the day of the attack. Kate's fists clenched and unclenched rhythmically in time with her tightening jaw. She stepped out into the daylight and looked around to get her bearings. The sign announcing Houlihan's was over her left shoulder and she started toward it.

With twenty yards remaining between her and the entrance, Kate recognized the blonde hair of one of the lobby occupants. She also noted the red head that was sticking close by her friend, as she had promised Kate. The sight of the two of them brought a smile to her face as she hurried towards them. Amy looked up just as the glass door of the lobby opened and an answering smile lit her face.

"How is everything Carol?" The question might have been addressed to Carol, but the piercing blue gaze never left Amy.

"We're fine, thanks. You're a little early. What did you do, rent a helicopter?" Carol was only half-kidding. She had never known anyone so intensely protective. It impressed her and made her envious. "I wish sometimes that Richard could take lessons from you. You really do know how to make a person feel special." She was referring to her husband of almost thirty years.

"We can go on in and sit in the bar. Why don't you come with us?" Amy invited, but Carol declined, knowing that the two women would need all the time they had remaining to get themselves prepared for the confrontation. She gave each of them a brief, one-armed hug and a kiss on the cheek before departing.

"Are you doing OK, Ams?" They had taken seats at a high-top table in the corner of the room opposite the entrance to the bar. Jack could not enter the establishment without them being aware of his presence.

"I'm fine Kate. Actually, I'm more worried about you. Your face is flushed and you may not realize it but you have a white-knuckle grip on the arm of that stool."

The two friends spoke quietly. Kate absently chewed on the swizzle stick in her diet coke. "I guess they don't want the other patrons to think we're not drinking alcohol." She offered no explanation of her remark and it took Amy a few moments to make the connection with the swizzle stick hanging out of Kate's mouth.

Suddenly Amy stiffened. The blood drained from her face and nausea rose in her throat. Kate knew without turning to look that Jack had entered the establishment. She reached under the table and squeezed Amy's hand, causing her to take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Before Kate even had a chance to look up and determine which of the suited businessmen was Jack, she heard the unmistakable voice behind her shoulder.

"Who's your friend, Amy?"

Amy's voice faltered, but Kate was wound tight enough that she responded without hesitation. "I'm Kate Ryan, a close friend of Amy's. We thought it best that she not meet you alone, under the circumstances." Her tone was deadly. Jack cleared his throat and looked questioningly at Amy, who still had not found her voice.

The waitress came by and took the salesman's order for a scotch.

"If that's what you want Amy, it's just that this is sort of personal, don't you think?"

"It stopped being personal when you tried to have non-consensual sex with her in a public parking lot." Kate's eyes were burning into him.

The acid remarks had given Amy the time she needed. Now she was in total control of her voice and the situation. "I agreed to this meeting because I wanted you to be looking me in the eye when I tell you how it is going to be."

Jack tried to look disbelieving but there was no room for discussion in the remark Amy made, or the tone to her voice when she delivered it. Her eyes were full of poison.

Kate chastised herself. She was supposed to be here to lend support but she was silently egging Amy on. She would have been content to watch her friend bludgeon him into unconsciousness.

Jack had deep, dark circles under his eyes. He needed a shave. There was an untended look about him that Amy had never seen before. It occurred to her that he looked like someone who had either been drinking hard, chasing personal demons or possibly both.

"Look Amy. There was never any need for any of that to happen. We've known each other for a long time and surely you realize…" He reached across the table to take her hand and found his wrist caught in an iron grip. The callused hand that held him belied years of hard, physical labor and a strength that he could not really appreciate at first. In disbelief, he looked up the long, muscled arm with its trembling tendons to a pair of threatening ice blue eyes. Jack tried to shake off Kate's grip and she countered by twisting his wrist. It would have been no struggle at all to go another inch and simply snap the bone, but Amy was watching.

"Understand me. You have touched her for the last time." The homicidal look on Kate's face as she delivered these words frightened him momentarily.

The pain shot straight up his arm and reflected on his face. Once she let off on the pressure and the pain began to subside, Jack's nostrils flared along with his temper. His face twisted into a sneer that Amy recognized. She hadn't seen that face since the day in the parking decks and it unnerved her now.

When Kate loosened her hold on him sufficiently, he shook her hand off and glared at her, while speaking to Amy. "I don't know where you found this watchdog, but I don't appreciate her interference."

Amy spoke now for the first time. "She is my closest friend and I trust her to speak for me anytime." Drawing in a deep breath to steady herself, Amy continued. "I'm beginning to understand that you think there is a relationship between us. That is ludicrous, Jack. There isn't, there wasn't and you can bet there never will be one. You have got to leave me alone or I will involve the law."

"They refused to get involved the last time," he retorted smugly. Amy was mad that he found that out, and madder that his remark was totally accurate. Her temper flared and when she spoke again, anger was distinctly evident in her voice.

"You stay the hell out of my life and you stay the hell off of my property! The Atlanta police may not want to get involved, but where I live, we believe in defending ourselves and protecting what is ours." This outburst from the petite blonde surprised everyone within earshot and that included half the patrons in the bar. The color rose in Amy's face. She came up off of her chair seat as she leaned toward Jack slightly. "Don't fuck with me Jack. You have no idea what I am capable of." The intensity in her voice surprised Kate who sat coiled and ready for his reaction.

As Jack rose unsteadily to his feet, he pulled a money clip from his pocket and threw a bill down on the table without looking at it. As he turned to walk away, he was aware that his exchange with Amy held the attention of everyone in the place. He felt compelled to try and save face. Turning, he faced her again.

"I don't know who you and your dyke friend over there think you're dealing with, but this isn't over."

Amy stood and leaned on the table without ever breaking eye contact with him. Kate had risen from her chair in perfect synchronization with her friend. "That's where you're mistaken, Jack. It is completely over."

He stared at the two women, noticing for the first time the sharp physical contrasts between them. Without further hesitation, he made his way out of the establishment.

Kate turned and faced her partner. She was slightly astonished at the vehemence that Amy loosed on Jack. It seemed out of character but the situation certainly called for it and more. "You handled him very well Ams." There was a note of pride in her remark. "My presence was totally unnecessary. In fact, I thought he was gonna swallow his tie there for a minute." Kate laughed her easy laugh and settled for squeezing Amy's arm just above the elbow.

"I couldn't have acted so tough without you to back me up and you know it." She returned Kate's smile. "Do you think he'll leave me alone?"

They talked about it briefly, before deciding to stick around and order dinner. Kate managed to avoid admitting that she thought Jack would try to contact Amy again. She could only hope her instincts were wrong.

"I'm gonna miss you. I'm gonna miss this." Kate held her lover close while they tried to slow their breathing to normal.

"I'll miss you, too, but it's only two days. Surely I can survive for that long without your stubbornness and your moods." Immediately offended, Kate looked down at Amy and the beaming face she encountered let her know that her lover was trying to get a rise out of her.

Neither of them was happy about Kate leaving for Tennessee, but it couldn't be avoided. The original plan involved Amy accompanying her on this trip. Getting the new office set up in their home caused some delays in Amy's work and there were several deadlines closing in fast. It was just going to have to be a solo trip for Kate.

"I still think you should take Carol up on her offer and go stay with her family. For that matter, why not stay next door with Ada. I can call her for you."

Amy argued that she would feel silly doing either. "I'm an adult and I shouldn't need a babysitter. Besides, you can't be by my side every minute of every day for the rest of my life."

"I can sure try." Kate was earnest and sincere in her sentiment, but they both knew it just wasn't practical. Eventually, Amy would have to get comfortable with being alone in the house periodically.

The next suggestion had merit. "Stay at my house then. It's quiet and secluded. Nobody knows where it is. What do you say?"

Snuggling closer into the arms that held her, Amy considered the idea. The warm hand that rhythmically stroked her shapely butt was distracting her.

Carol looked over her coffee cup as Kate breezed into the office. She carried an overnight bag slung over her shoulder and a capped plastic tube containing blueprints for the house on the waterfall. The builder greeted Carol as she walked past. "That a hickey on your neck?" Carol inquired.

Amy was suddenly busy trying to locate something in her desk drawer and Kate, obviously embarrassed, too, studied the drawings that were sprawled across the work table in the center of the room. Neither of them offered the redhead an answer, but then, she hadn't really expected one anyhow.

It had turned into a long night of energetic lovemaking The two had not been separated in months and the thought of being apart made them try to save up some closeness to get them through the next forty-eight hours. They both felt silly about the sense of impending loss, but wouldn't admit it, so neither was aware that it was something they shared.

"Gotta get going, or I'll be late for my meeting this afternoon. You two stay out of trouble, OK?" Amy stood up to hug her friend goodbye. Kate came up behind her and snaked an arm around her middle from behind and whispered into her ear. "I love you and I have no idea how I will ever sleep tonight. Call me?"

The blonde head nodded and Amy smiled knowingly. She felt the same way. Squeezing the arm that held her, she moved it so that she could turn within Kate's embrace. Reaching her hands around the taller woman's neck, Amy noted the tell-tale bruise that caused Carol to remark. She laughed quietly as she pulled Kate into a hug. "You DO have a hickey. Sorry." Her voice was soft.

"Don't care. In fact, I'm kind of glad. It's proof that you do exist and I didn't make you up." They held each other for a few minutes. Carol tried to focus her attention elsewhere and give them some privacy. Finally, she decided to go into the kitchen for more coffee. She turned to announce her departure and found the two engaged in a deep kiss. Smiling, she quietly left the office.

The city of Atlanta had always opened her arms and embraced all of her people. Now, she stood cross-armed and watched the bitter faces behind too many windshields, their horns decrying the wrongdoing suffered by the hands hovering over them and waiting for the next trespass. Kate shook her head. It might not be the greatest, but it was still the only place she would ever call home.

The long sojourn to Tennessee gave Kate many hours in which to analyze and antagonize. Her reputation as a worrier had been well earned starting with childhood. From concerns over her father's health, his business and Rita, the housekeeper, her worries had grown right along with her. Fortunately, there had been few issues and fewer people that she cared about during her adult life making her anxiety manageable.

Now, Amy was in her life. Kate said her name out loud, and surprised herself. Before the surprise even abated, she was filled with a rush of warmth. Then she thought of Jack. His face floated in her recent memory. Their meeting accomplished something for Amy, but Kate had serious doubts about the man's mental health. It didn't seem like a good idea to her to try and reason with someone incapable of accepting simple facts.

It helped to know that Carol and Charlie would be sticking close in her absence, both by Kate's special request. A Camry cut across two lanes of traffic and made a last second exit from the expressway, nearly causing an accident. Kate mumbled a few curse words under her breath and turned her attention back to the road.

The "Newton County Branch" of Walton & Hanley had been working at a tremendous rate of production for the few days it had been in existence. Amy and Carol both found that the energy they would normally expend just getting to the office could now be channeled into the projects they were working on. The absence of interruption from fellow workers and unrelated phone calls also helped them to focus on their work.

It was obvious to Carol that Kate's departure had broken Amy's concentration that morning. She alternated between daydreaming with a smile of content on her face and knit brows, indicating the presence of demons in her thoughts. Carol was pretty sure where those worries were coming from.

"It's almost lunch time. Are you feeding me again today or do you want to go somewhere?"

Amy admitted, "I haven't gotten much accomplished this morning, why don't I just throw something together here."

"I have a better idea. Why don't you keep working and I'll throw something together? Don't forget, I actually know how to cook and I'm used to feeding an ungrateful pack of teenagers. You should be a cinch to please."

Carol had familiarized herself with Amy's kitchen on her very first visit, making herself right at home. It was a treat for her not to encounter the typical obstacles that she found every day in her own kitchen. Everything was tidy and clean; no empty bottles or cartons in the refrigerator, everything in a place where logic could locate it.

As she stood at the kitchen sink washing lettuce, Carol took a long look around the back yard and breathed a heavy sigh. It was her hope to someday get out of the crowded subdivision where she and her husband raised their kids. Carol was thinking how nice it would be to walk outside in her oldest bathrobe and drink coffee on a swing like the one in Amy's back yard without fear of detection. While she was enjoying her simple daydream, Carol caught a hint of motion in her periphery. She stretched herself over the sink to get a better view but saw nothing. Glancing at her watch she realized that Charlie would not be taking care of the horses in the middle of the day. "Hmm." The redhead chalked it up to her middle-aged eyes playing tricks again and went back to the preparation of lunch.

"Come and get it!" The call from the kitchen made Amy laugh and she rose from her computer to join Carol at the table.

"I have to say, it's going to be hard to get used to having someone else in the house who knows how to prepare food. Kate is hopeless at it. It's a wonder she didn't starve to death years ago."

"She may have limited culinary skills but it seems like she makes up for it in other areas, Amy. You've been in a fog all morning." Carol kidded her.

"I know. I really need to get going on this ad layout too." She blushed and studied Carol, who was sitting across the table, munching quietly. "How did you manage to maintain your place in reality when you first met Rob?"

The redhead concentrated for a moment before a sly smile crossed her face. "Actually, we were in school and really DIDN'T concern ourselves with reality. Neither of us made it to classes on a regular basis for a couple of months. My mother couldn't get me on the phone for a week at a time. I had all my friends lying for me. It was fabulous." The grin on her face attested to it, too. "Every five years or so, Rob and I still call in sick and spend the day at home, in bed. We usually wait until the kids are allocated to band camp, soccer camp, or Grandma's camp."

"You dog! I knew you had to be more romantic than you pretend to be."

"What made you suspect?"

"The sympathy and suggestions you've always given me, regarding my failed attempts at a love-life. It sort of clued me in."

Amy had to cross her heart and swear not to breathe the truth to a soul. Carol enjoyed perpetuating her 'tough-gal' image among their fellow workers. The ringing of the new business telephone line broke up lunch. They headed back to the office, two dozen steps away.

The afternoon meeting had been brief, followed by an informal dinner with the foundry's production manager. He had gone over the plans with Kate and answered her questions, surprised by her grasp of his design.

Later that evening, she called to check on her love which resulted in a two hour conversation about nothing much at all. Both of the women just needed the connection. Kate finally said goodnight and was about to drift off to sleep.

'Maybe we'll finish up earlier than we planned and I can head on home. I'd love to surprise Amy. Who am I kidding? I hate being away from home. Hah! That's rich coming from the woman who's never really had a home, huh? You're losing it Kate. No, you've lost it.' The corners of her mouth turned up. She held firmly to the extra pillow on the hotel bed and slept.

"God, I will be glad when Kate gets home. You have been pining away like a teenager since she pulled out of the driveway." Carol laughed at her friend who had been doodling hearts and arrows all morning on the note pad by her telephone.

Amy looked up and started to defend her indefensible position but surrendered to the futility of it. "I might as well have gone with her for all of the work I'm getting accomplished, huh? I'll do better tomorrow." Amy smiled thinking of Kate's expected arrival in the afternoon.

The lights out across the lake soothed her. Staying at Kate's house had been a good idea. The young woman was already dressed for bed in Kate's old jersey. Wrapped in a cotton throw against the evening chill, she had been curled up in the old papisan chair on the porch for over an hour. The day's events played through her head. Carol turned out to be a workaholic, something that Amy never realized before. The redhead's efficiency and intensity balanced nicely with Amy's creative, less structured approach. Between them, the Landers account was in good shape for the first time in weeks.

A dog barked close by and startled the young designer, stirring her from the light doze she had fallen into. 'I might as well go in and get in bed. The view is beautiful out here on the porch, but I'll be stiff as a board if I sleep in this chair.' She laughed remembering the occasion early in her relationship with Kate when her friend suffered for days as a result of falling asleep in the very same chair. The thought of Kate brought a smile as she rose and went into the house.

Amy felt a chill and looked around the den to see if any of the windows had been left open. As her eyes scanned the sashes, a sliver of light was reflected off something. She focused hard and recognized the shape of a wrist watch, and a man's hand casually propped on the outside window sill. Panic rushed through her but she acted as if she hadn't seen a thing. 'Think Amy! Did you lock the door?' Pulling the blanket tighter around her she tried to calm herself. She took deep breaths and tried to think. 'The phone is still on the porch. Shit!!'

A glance in his direction and she could tell that the prowler didn't realize he'd been discovered yet. That would work to her advantage. She couldn't be sure who the peeping tom outside Kate's house was, but the familiar, creepy feeling she got in Jack's presence these days was with her. Amy tried to act casually as she made her way to the bedroom. Obscuring her from his view this gave her precious seconds to pull herself together.

Outside, the moon was almost full and the light that washed the yard had been more than adequate for Jack to pick his way to the house. He left his Cadillac at the end of the winding drive and slowly made his way to the clearing by the water's edge. She was alone, he was fairly certain. He watched her pull out of the drive at her house and waited for three cars to get between them before pursuing the Explorer.

There was really no solid reasoning in Jack's mind. He simply had to have this woman and the more she denied him, the stronger his need had grown. Jack was consumed by his obsession. There was no time for anything else. Amy didn't realize that he hadn't worked in almost two weeks. Even if she still spent her weekdays in the downtown office, their paths never seemed to cross anymore. He suspected that Tom Hanley had fixed that. 'The old bastard probably wants her for himself. He can get in line. Mine first, and after that she'll never want anybody else.'

He tried a window and found it locked. Making a circuit around the back of the cabin, Jack determined that only the bathroom window was unlocked and open a few inches. It was farther off the ground than most of the others, but he could manage by standing on an overturned five gallon bucket he found by the boathouse. It was simple enough to slit the window screen with his pocket knife and pop off the keepers. Letting the screen slide to the ground, he slowly slid the sash up until the window opening was large enough for him to crawl through.

He wore brand new sneakers. They were the first ones he ever owned and so white that they practically shone in the darkened bathroom. Jack made his way noiselessly to the door and slipped behind it. The slit between the door and the jamb was enough to provide him a clear view of the den and the kitchen beyond it. There was no Amy to be seen. He waited.

The revolver that Kate had pressed upon her was in the bottom of her purse. Ironically it had been only hours since Kate asked if she had it with her. Amy was glad it wasn't necessary to lie as she had in the past, but unfortunately, her purse was sitting on a chair in the small kitchen. Amy would have to walk through the den to get it. At the moment, she couldn't get her feet to move.

She knew instinctively that it was Jack out there and she remembered the look on his face the last time she had seen it. He seemed determined to get even for the indignity he felt he suffered at her hands. Amy had been introduced to his cruelty in the parking garage. Now, he had followed her and once again, she hated herself for stupidly believing in the flimsy safety of hiding at Kate's cabin. A sob rose in her throat, but she swallowed it again. 'No time for that. I've got to think!'

Hugging her arms to herself Amy alternated between watching the doorway and the two windows in the bedroom. One of the windows opened onto the screened porch and Kate kept the curtains pulled back so that she could see the lake upon waking each day. More frightening was the curtained window behind which might be the unseen terror. Amy couldn't decide which window was worse. Realizing that precious seconds were ticking, she shook her head and tried to think as she stood guard.

'I could go out the window onto the porch. If he's still at the window in the den, he won't see me. What if he's figured out I'm in the bedroom?' Her attention moved to the porch window. Amy had to make a decision and she knew there wasn't much time. 'To the kitchen for the pistol or through the window and into the darkness? It wasn't a good choice and she knew it.

The radio blared a hard rock favorite of Charlie's. Kate was feeling slightly weary on her long drive home. Having finished her business over dinner, she decided to leave immediately and surprise Amy with her early arrival. The long, lonely road had been lulling her to sleep though, and she turned the air conditioning up a notch to make herself as uncomfortable as possible. Raising the styrofoam coffee cup to her lips and sipping the bitter, lukewarm liquid, Kate shook her head and gripped the wheel of her pick up. Nothing could deter her. She was almost home.

Peeking out through the small opening was beginning to play on Jack's nerves. 'Where the hell is she? The lights are still on, so I know she hasn't gone to bed.' He went through every possible scenario in his mind and could come up with no explanation as to why he couldn't determine her whereabouts. As slowly as possible, he swung the door out on silent hinges, to shield his movement towards the opening into the hallway. On his third step, a board creaked and he stood stock still.

She heard it too and thanked Kate silently for not fixing that squeaky board. Now Amy knew exactly where he was. She rushed to the window and twisted the lock. The window opened easily and she stepped through it. Amy had almost reached the screened door when she saw him in her periphery moving across the den. He spotted her at the same time and immediately changed his course straight toward her.

Amy's scream carried out across the water. Several residents reported when interviewed later that they heard an unusual cry, but attributed it to some kind of bird. Unusual noises were a fairly common occurrence on Lake Jackson at night.

Kate breezed by Amy's house on Highway 212, glancing briefly in its direction. Wide awake now, she began to whistle along with the radio. 'A few more minutes and I'll be holding on to you for dear life, honey. I'm never gonna let you go either. We need to have that serious talk I think.' Kate swallowed hard at the prospect but she knew that Amy would make it easy for her, as easy as possible anyway.

It was past time for the deep brooding woman to let love into her life again. She had to trust one more time.

Her fingers fumbled with the simple hook that kept the screen door secured. When it finally flipped up, Amy stumbled down the five wooden steps into the yard. She made the mistake of looking back and saw Jack rush through the French doors onto the porch.

Amy caught her toe on the edge of a stepping stone and fell to her bare knees. As Jack slung open the screen door, he could see that she was half naked and a lurid grin crawled across his face. The distraction cost him his footing and he missed the second step. Sprawling on the ground directly behind her Jack spat her name for the first time making the nightmare undeniable.

The young woman launched herself to her feet and ran for the shelter of the boathouse. Amy had no idea what was housed inside, but she had no car keys and she knew Jack would surely catch her in a foot race up the winding drive. Slipping inside to total darkness, she moved to one side of the doors. There was not time to let her eyes adjust, but Amy reasoned that Jack wouldn't be able to see either. Reaching blindly behind her, she felt the smooth, flat head of a boat paddle. When the door opened, she had the advantage and wielded the paddle with all of her strength.

The flat smack of wood making contact with flesh blended with Jack's cry of protest as she drew back the paddle and got ready to hit him again. The second strike was Amy's last and she knew it. Jack now knew her approximate whereabouts and could defend himself much better. She inched her way into the inky depths of the boathouse keeping the wall to her back. Jack was breathing hard from his pursuit and cursing her, giving away his position.

Cold metal slipped across her fingertips. A quick survey informed her that she had a boat prop in her hand. It was heavy and Amy considered just throwing it at her attacker, but if she missed, there might not be any other weapon close by. Her instincts took over. The small blonde threaded her fingers through the hole at the prop's center and held it down by her thigh. As he closed the distance between them, nausea swept through her belly and she sucked in a lung full of air to combat it.

Jack smiled in the dark. Amy was a few feet away, half naked and petrified. His fantasy was three quarters fulfilled already and he was pleased with himself. He took a step and then another. When he spoke to her, his voice was a low growl. "Finally. I've waited long enough for this and you have too. You shouldn't have made things so difficult Amy. It didn't have to be so difficult."

'It doesn't even sound like Jack's voice'. That was the last thought Amy remembered having before she drew the prop horizontally across the black curtain between them. There was a scream and a loud crash. Amy moved for the door when she realized that Jack's solid presence was no longer in front of her. She was locking the French doors on the porch when she saw him come across the lawn into the moonlight. His shirt front boasted a splash of red that was growing with each step toward her. His eyes were demonic.

Kate knew immediately that something was terribly wrong. The late model Cadillac parked beside the end of her drive was totally unfamiliar. 'Who would abandon such a valuable car way out here?' The question was hardly completed in her mind when the answer came, unbidden.

"Jack." As she spoke his name, she stomped the accelerator and the truck fishtailed, skidding as the tires left pavement and threw up a spray of gravel. Kate felt sick, her mind casting about for some plan while her soul prayed for Amy's safety. 'Please don't let me be too late' she chanted. The crazy mantra focused her and allowed her to think clearly.

Although she was still fifty yards from the house, Kate killed the headlights on the pickup and abandoned it in the driveway. Continuing on foot, she ran down the soft shoulder, beside the gravel in hopes that her footfalls would not be heard.

Amy ran for the telephone and dialed 911 twice before she realized the line was dead. The cell phone in her purse was her only alternative and she backed toward the kitchen to retrieve it. Jack was throwing his shoulder against the door frame over and over. It was only a matter of time before it gave way and admitted him, but he was in too great a hurry to wait.

The crash of glass as Jack's fist passed through the door was heard by a neighbor across the cove. Assuming that a burglary was taking place, the elderly couple called the police.

The doorknob turned and admitted the angered maniac. He moved blindly toward her, reaching up to grab her by the throat. Amy stumbled and fell backwards, hitting her head and losing consciousness.

'Good. Now I can take my time and do this right.' Jack put his arms underneath Amy's limp body and picked her up roughly. Carrying her the short distance to the bedroom, he dropped her unceremoniously onto the iron bed. Taking a moment to survey the damage to his bleeding midriff, he went to the bathroom for a towel, to clean himself up a bit.

Kate stood in the clearing and listened. She heard the crash of glass as she approached the house, but all was quiet at present. 'I have to be smart now' she thought as she circled the house, trying to formulate a plan. The shattered panel in the rear door explained the breaking glass she'd heard, but there was no activity in the main room of the cabin. That meant that he had her in the bathroom… or the bedroom. A chill ran through her.

She stole up the steps and was picking her way quietly through the broken shards of glass when Jack came out of the bathroom holding a towel to the front of his shirt. He didn't see her tall figure at first, which was the worst piece of luck Jack Harris experienced in a long list.

Launching herself at him, Kate let go of a primal scream. The two of them fell together in a tangle of limbs. Kate went down last and so was able to get to her feet first. As Jack struggled to get up, she kicked him under his jaw, snapping his head back and throwing him off balance once again.

Kate circled the injured maniac as he struggled to maintain his position facing his opponent. "You bastard! What have you done to her?" Kate demanded to know, but Jack only gave her an evil smile in return. "If you have touched her, you'll answer with your life, I swear it." Her eyes were black as she delivered the promise. He was sliding up the wall to his feet.

A letter opener laid on Kate's desk, probably in plain view. She knew it was there, but was afraid that if she glanced over to where she thought she'd last seen it, Jack would realize what she was doing and the element of surprise would be lost. She backed slowly away from him and turned so that her back was facing the desktop.

"Where are you going, bitch? Don't you want to stay and enjoy the fun with me? Your little friend in there has been teasing me for years. Tonight I get what's coming to me." His demented leer might have scared Kate, except for the fury she felt. She was every bit as crazy and out of control as he was at the moment. Her fingers grazed the solid top of the desk and contacted the cold metal of the weapon she sought. Closing her fingers around it, she smiled at her adversary.

"You're absolutely right, Jack. Tonight you are definitely gonna get what's coming to you." With that, she swung the stiletto towards his face. He saw it coming and blocked the blow with his forearm, but Kate recovered and plunged the sharp blade into Jack's thigh. Howling, he retreated a step as he gripped the injured leg, above the protruding weapon. Jack stared, disbelieving at the handsome dagger grip. Kate watched closely, waiting for her opportunity to rush in. She didn't have to wait long. When he grabbed the handle with both hands and began to pull the weapon free of his leg, Kate saw her advantage and took it.

A crack of bone on bone signaled the connection of her fist to his jaw. Jack staggered back another step and collided with a coat rack, losing his balance. Kate closed in and turned the dagger handle swiftly before pulling it free. Blood poured from the small hole in Jack's jeans, mingling with what was already running from his wounded torso.

Kate would never forget the expression of Jack's face at that moment. Evidence of some demonic strength gathered on his countenance and he lurched forward, grabbing her around the waste and throwing her to the floor beneath him. Fists flew at her face and Kate thought she heard her nose break, but she never wavered in her counter attack. Her arms were pinned by his knees but Kate used all of her considerable strength to push up with her lower back and half throw him off of her body. One of her hands broke free and her fist caught Jack's cheek in a blur. Blood spewed from his mouth as he head snapped around with the force of the blow.

Jack lay, half sprawled across the sofa, unconscious. Kate, breathing raggedly from her exertion rose quickly and flew to the bedroom to find Amy's unmoving body on the bed. The face beneath the blonde mop was pale, deathly pale in fact. Kate drew in a sharp breath, fearing she had arrived too late.

"Amy! Sweetheart, please! Tell me you're alright. You just have to be alright!" Kate cradled her lover's head in her lap and smoothed the blonde hair back from it. Within moments, a quiet groan erupted from Amy's mouth and she began to stir. Kate grabbed Amy up into her arms and held her close, tears of relief running down both of their faces. The two women rocked each other gently and sobbed quietly into each other's necks.

When Amy opened her eyes again, she drew in a huge lungful of air. There was no time to cry a warning as Jack rushed forward hoisting a walking stick above his head. The crack of the substantial hickory limb against Kate's skull was a sickening sound and she sank immediately into darkness.

Jack raised the timber to strike again and Amy pleaded for him to stop. "Please Jack, don't hurt her any more. I think you've killed her already." Her sobs were uncontrolled now, and Jack reacted by backing off to assess the situation. Realizing that Amy was probably right, he smiled slowly, lowering the staff.

"No point in wasting energy on her, huh? I'm gonna need all my strength for you." He smiled at Amy, causing her to feel bile rise in the back of her throat. Jack grabbed Amy's wrist and jerked her to her feet. "Come on, we have to get out of here. By now, her neighbors have to have heard us." He pushed her through the door into the den and looked around for a moment. Retrieving the bloodied towel, he once again held it to his torso, then to the seeping wound on his thigh. Undecided as to which bloody site needed attention more, he kept switching back and forth as he shoved Amy out the front door.

"You keep quiet and there will be no need to knock you out, Amy." He still carried the hickory by his side. Jack looked around the dark woods and seeing no signs of light or life, felt confident to start them towards the spot where his car was parked. They almost made it out of the circle of light that the cabin threw out its open door and windows when a deep voice cut the night.

"Let her go Jack and step away." Kate was standing in the open doorway, swaying slightly, with a finger of blood oozing from her hairline, down her cheek. The glint of steel reflected off the barrel of the forty-five automatic that she held level in front of her. "Amy can tell you what a terrific shot I am and that's just when I'm shooting at paper targets. Imagine how much incentive I feel right now, Jack. Step away." He grabbed Amy's arm and twisted it behind her, holding her body as a shield in front of his.

"I wouldn't be too quick to pull that trigger out here in the dark, bitch. A few inches and your girlfriend here will lose part of that pretty face." Jack tangled his fingers in Amy's hair and pulled her head to one side, causing her to scream.

"I won't give you another opportunity. Step away now and save your life." Kate's face was unreadable. Amy had no idea whether her lover could or would pull the trigger while Jack had her captive. A new fear crept into Amy's stomach as she wondered who this tall, dark woman haloed in the light from the cabin's interior really was.

The silence hung heavily between them. Kate drew in a breath to steady her hand, but as she began to squeeze the trigger, the crunch of tires on gravel drew Jack's attention. As he turned to see who was arriving, Amy broke his hold on her and ran three steps. He swung the long hickory like a baseball bat at her head but never had a chance to connect. The pistol's retort wasn't all that loud, but it reverberated out across the still water of the lake. When the small puff of white smoke abated Jack's lifeless body lay where he had fallen.

Headlights illuminated the scene. Kate dropped the forty-five down by her side and watched Jack for signs of movement. Amy quickly appeared at her side and snaked an arm around Kate's waste as she stood watch with her.

Charlie was panicked as he stepped from his truck. He spotted the man lying on the ground in the middle of the clearing. Blood was spattered over his clothes from head to foot now, but Charlie recognized him as the man who stopped at Amy's farm and spoken to him. He stopped and stood stock still, staring at Jack.

"Call the police." Kate's voice woke Amy as if from sleep.

"Yeah. I better do that right away." She went into the cabin and came out again immediately, carrying the portable phone.

Charlie circled Jack's still body, gawking. The single dark circle on the shirtfront right above Jack's heart, showed the bullet's entry path. The bloody pulp of his back as he lay, crumpled on his side, told Charlie more about exit wounds than he would ever have wanted to know.

"Yes, that's right. It's on Pope trail and someone has been shot. Please hurry." Amy looked at Kate wide-eyed as she broke the connection on the telephone. "They're on their way, Kate. Are you OK?" It was a ridiculous question. None of them were OK. Blood still trickled from Kate's head wound and poured from her broken nose. Only now was she beginning to feel any pain from her injuries at all and realized that she was dizzy. Sliding to the ground, Kate let the pistol slip from her fingers onto the door mat. She stared across the yard at Jack's lifeless body, trying to feel some kind of remorse.

Carol sat with her arm around Amy's shoulder, trying to comfort her as she would one of her children. They had been ensconced on the sofa in Amy's den for hours and the red head hoped that her little friend would be sleeping by now, but no such luck.

Amy was determined that she would be safe when and only when Kate was holding her. Then she would rest. Then she would shed the tears she still held on to, the remembered terror they were made of. Then she would soak in the tub and wash away the tiny splatters of Jack's blood that still dotted her. Until that moment, she'd had no idea she had them or how long they had been there.

Charlie drank coffee at the kitchen table with Ann. Amy's sister wasted no time when she got the news. She had been at the house when Amy got home from the hospital and held her sister's hand through long hours of questioning by the authorities. Dry-eyed, Ann exhibited a depth of strength that neither she nor Amy knew she possessed before that night. Reluctantly, she let go of her sister's hand only in order for Carol to offer her comfort and support.

Kate was in custody, but Ricki promised Amy that it wouldn't be for very long. The neighbors at the lake all knew what had gone on. The cabin was a crime scene and a total disaster with doors kicked in, broken glass scattered about and blood stains everywhere. Kate's trip to the hospital also preceded her questioning.

The pre-dawn sky was a funny shade of deep slate. Kate's truck rolled to a stop in the yard behind the house. She was already running for the kitchen door when it swung open and Amy met her, three steps into the yard. They clung to each other as if life itself was dependent on it, and their tears mixed together.

When everyone settled down enough, they all sat down in the den to hear Amy and Kate's story. Until now, Amy hadn't had the strength to tell it. Kate held her tightly and Amy's small voice recreated the incidents leading up to Jack's death.

"The police called it a clear cut case of self defense. There will be an inquiry, but no charges will be brought." Kate offered this information mostly as a means to fill in the uncomfortable silence that followed the ending of Amy's tale. Carol was stunned, Ann was crying quietly and poor Charlie sat looking at his friend Amy with his fists clenching and unclenching.

"Hey everybody, the sun is up. Who wants breakfast?" Ann and Carol went to work in the kitchen, while Charlie excused himself to check on the horses. He explained that it was time for their breakfast too. Kate took advantage of the time alone to give her partner some assurances and to get some back.

"I have never been so afraid. There was no reasoning with him." They both understood that Jack's name would not and could not be mentioned for the time being. "Thank goodness you got there. You saved my life, Kate. How can I ever thank you? I had no idea how much I needed you until tonight."

The color rose in Kate's face. "Yeah, well, it's about time somebody needed me for something."

Kate stood and pulled Amy up with her. "Come on, it's time for a bath and I'm coming along."

A year had gone by too quickly. Charlie's mother had passed away, devastating the young man. His lady friend, soon to be wife, stood by him though, and of course Kate and Amy were there for him, too.

Kate sold him the cabin at the lake very reasonably. She didn't think Amy would ever be comfortable there again and she really had no need of it.

They had ridden the horses down by the water, Kate being lured by the promise of a picnic. Lunch actually was eaten before a knowing smile led to a stolen kiss. Kate lay back on the ancient quilt spread out under the center sweet gum tree and relished the taste of soft lips, still bearing the sweetness of peaches they had eaten.

"MMMMmmmm. I'm not usually all that crazy about fruit. I've always suspected it's like, healthy, you know and couldn't taste good. Her remark was silenced with another kiss, this time more intense and she answered back in kind, pulling Amy's firm softness in to stretch out beside her.

There was little to discourage their impromptu love making secreted as they were in their private haven on the back side of seventy-five acres. No one overheard the sighs and whispers except the birds and squirrels and they would never say anything.

They lay, sated and sweating in the late summer heat, Amy curled into Kate's body, head resting on her shoulder. "I swear I think you do your best work in the great outdoors." Amy kidded her.

"You will always inspire me to do great things." Kate smiled her lazy, contented smile over the top of Amy's blonde head.

"I was hoping you would say that." Amy looked up into her eyes and smiled impishly. "Can you reach that picnic basket?" Kate nodded and dragged it over beside them.

"Don't tell me you're hungry again already!"

"No silly, I've got a surprise for you though." The younger woman pulled a folded document out of the basket's bottom and handed it to the builder before resuming her comfortable position in Kate's embrace. For good measure, she snaked a leg across the tall woman's hips and squeezed their body's closer with its strength.

Kate unfolded the document and squinted at it in the bright light. She recognized the wording of a legal description typed neatly on what had to be a property deed. Looking at the outer face of the refolded document, she stared at the neatly typed words that identified its purpose.

"You can't do this Amy. You promised your dad." Her objections were quieted by several kisses and an occasional moan. When the younger woman was quite sure that her companion was too breathless to speak, she delivered the short speech that she had been rehearsing in her head for weeks. Or would have, if she could remember any of it at the moment. Looking into the pools of blue that protected the entrance to Kate's soul, the words were forgotten, but the sentiment remained.

Amy simply spoke from her heart. "My father wanted this land to be a home to future generations of his family so that they would know the same happiness here that he had as a young man. He couldn't trust my mother to understand or honor that but he knew that I felt the same content and peace here. I'm sorry that he never got to meet you Kate, but I know that he would have loved your integrity, your appreciation for family and your sense of loyalty. I want for us to live here always." Amy sat up suddenly and turned to look at the rise behind them. "There. That's where you said you would build our house, given the chance. I want that more than I can say."

Stunned, Kate followed her friend's gaze up to the natural ledge that was surrounded on three sides by gnarly old oaks. She remembered saying all that time ago that it would be a perfect site for a house, but it was a great deal more than that. Amy was proposing a home for the two of them, and sharing a piece of her precious legacy from past generations. Kate was speechless. She blinked and swallowed, struggling to control the emotion rising inside her. All she could do was look at Amy, silent tears trailing down her face.

"You said we could do anything we wanted with your dad's insurance money." Amy waited for the nod of affirmation. "I vote for building us a home, at least with some of it, and we can…"

Kate swallowed whatever words were coming next with a kiss so intense, it brought them both back to the ground. They held each other for a long while, considering the bargain they struck and sealed with that kiss.

Now, almost complete, the house rose out of the earth, a beacon, drawing Amy's attention and a deep sigh of amazement at what her lover was capable of.

Amy scanned the rise, her hand a visor against the bright sunshine. She spotted a tall figure, easy to pick out against the backdrop of their new home. Kate was pointing up and giving instruction to Andy, her painter and they were laughing together about something. The sound of it drifted down the hill to where the amused blonde stood.

Kate had been a woman possessed since she'd started the project of building a home for them. Her father's insurance money allowed her to build exactly how she'd always wanted to. The only compromises she was forced to make were the ones Amy requested. Even Kate had to admit, there were very few.

She spotted Amy and a brilliant smile broke over her face as she approached. "Hey you!" Kate was never happier than when she had Amy by her side and a building project at her back.

Amy returned her smile. "You look pretty impressive against the backdrop of your design. What a house, honey! I love it."

"Yeah, well. I love you. I had to give you my best effort." They stood, each with an arm loosely encompassing the other's waist enjoying the culmination of their collective lives so far and savoring predictions of their future together.

The End

Thanks for reading. ART