FIRST LOVE, LAST LOVE                                                       By                                                 Jewel Dartt PROLOGUE He clicked his tongue softly and the horses plodded forward, kicking up eddies of swirling dust in their wake. He guided them over the rough terrain with an expert hand, but his mind was not on the task at hand. Nor did he take notice of the black clouds sliding overhead, or the hint of rain in the air. No, he was too occupied by his own thoughts of darkness and death to notice much of anything. But not his own death-not yet anyway. He still had a mission to accomplish a promise to keep. He'd waited a long time for this, and finally he was about to see the fruition of his plans…plans of revenge that he'd plotted for the last two years. The good book said a life for a life, and he felt more than justified in seeking justice against the harm down him. His archenemy had killed his beloved just as sure as if he'd held a gun to her head. Not once had he shown any sign of regret or remorse for his sins. Now at long last the time was at hand. He would make him suffer, make him beg for mercy. Angrily, he wiped at the tears running down his face. "Soon Emily. I will avenge your death, and then your soul will be able to rest. It won't be long now, and I will join you in eternity, my love… Just be patient." The man responsible for your death will be in the deepest, darkest, depths of hell, he added silently. After the bastard sees me sending his own beloved ahead of him to light the way. *** CHAPTER ONE Kat dusted the wide countertop half-heartedly. She glanced longingly at the open store door where she could see a glimpse of blue, cloud-dotted sky. The sharp scent of pickle brine reminded her where she was; her father's mercantile. She smoothed out the wrinkles in the pristine white apron her mother had insisted she wear over her faded blue dress. She regretted that she'd ever offered to mind the store, while her father went to St. Louis to track down a couple of lost shipments. It was a perfect day to play hooky from adult responsibilities, and go to the ravine for a swim, or some fishing. A perfect day to invite Brendon to join her so they could catch up after his long absence. He'd been home all of one week, and she had seen little of him, thanks to Faith Baldwin. The woman seemed glued to his side whenever she saw him out. She had to admit that Brendon usually looked very uncomfortable as if he wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation. He was a gentleman through and through, and being rude to a woman was something that was very hard for him to do. She, however, had no compunction at all when it came to being rude if the occasion warranted it. And the occasion was fast approaching, if Faith didn't leave him alone, at least for a few minutes. She so wanted him to see how much she'd grown up in the last five years. When he'd left for medical school, she'd been a tomboyish girl of fifteen. Somebody he could take fishing and swimming. Just like one of the boys, she thought, wincing at the memory of her former unladylike ways. "You lay a hand on me, lady, and I'll tell my Pa," a child's voice shouted from outside. Kat looked toward the door, wondering what was going on, when one of the Durwood kids came crashing through the screen door and skidding into the mercantile. Defiance, plus, a tinge of fear showed on his dirt-streaked face. He glanced around frantically, seeking a place to hide. He headed straight for a table standing in the middle of the room, loaded down with gingham, calico, and flannel. Kat sighed in resignation. "What did you do now, Jake?" The ten-year-old boy was infamous for being the terror of Clayton, Missouri. For the most part, he lived up to his reputation. Kat liked him though, he had a lot of spirit, what her grandfather called gumption. Jake Durwood stopped and pushed back the dark shaggy hair that had fallen into his equally dark eyes. "Didn't do nothing," he answered with a sullen expression. "Then why are you running?" "He's running to get away from me and for good reason. When I get my hands on that brat, he won't be able to run, much less walk, after I'm finished with him," Faith Baxter said, slamming into the store with a determined expression. She made straight for the boy and grabbed him by his worn, faded shirt. "Thought you could get away from me, did you? You dirty little savage. Enough was enough. Kat stepped out from behind the wide wooden counter. She jerked the small boy out of Faith's iron grip and pushed him behind her, out of Faith's reach. "You touch this boy again, and you will have to deal with me." She warned, her voice edged with anger. "Why, I...never..." Faith sputtered, her face turning red with fury. "How dare you interfere, Kathleen Warner! This is none of your affair; I intend to teach this filthy guttersnipe a thing, or two about respecting his elders. If not for him, I wouldn't have spent Sunday evening locked in our woodshed." "I didn't lock you in no woodshed," Jake denied hotly from behind Kat's voluminous skirts. "You did too," Faith countered. "Not only did you lock me in, you're a liar on top of all that." She made another attempt to pull the boy out from behind Kat. Kat glared at her then pushed her hard, away from the boy. "Leave him alone. Jake said he didn't do it, and I for one believe him." What she didn't add, however, was she knew who had. Only one person she knew disliked Faith enough to do such a thing. Rosette, her very own imp of a sister and Rosette's partner in mischief, Chatfield Morgan. But she saw no reason in revealing what she knew to the already incensed Faith Baxter. "You may believe him, Kat," Faith sneered. "But I certainly do not. If he didn't lock me in that awful place, who did? And why did I have to bribe this rotten kid to let me out, pray tell?" Kat shrugged. "Because knowing Jake, he probably saw it as an opportunity to earn a dollar. Though I must admit I don't approve of his uh...methods." "I should certainly hope not," Faith exclaimed with a haughty sniff. Kat gave her a hard stare. "Nevertheless, I also don't approve of you trying to discipline the boy either." "If I ever get my hands on that boy, I'll do a lot more than that, I assure you." With that final warning, Faith, her dainty chin set at a haughty angle, flounced out of the store. Kat fixed a stern expression on her face. She turned to Jake, hands on hips. "What do you have to say for yourself, young man?" "'Tain't much I can say," Jake answered, an impish grin on his gamin face. "I didn't lock the old bat in the woodshed. Course, I sure as heck know who did." Kat studied the boy for a moment before she spoke. "I do too, Jake. Would you mind terribly much if we keep that particular tidbit between you and me?" "Whadda you gonna give me if I don't blab?" "You really are a wretched child, Jake Durwood," Kat said in a mock-stern voice. "How about a stick of licorice? Do you think that will cover the debt?" She reached for the tall glass jar filled to the top with black licorice that sat on the counter behind her. Jake eyed it hungrily. "Reckon so, but I'm only doing this 'cause you and your grandpappy are the only folks, herebouts who treat me good." He snatched the candy from her hand, and without a backward glance was gone before Kat could say anything. She chuckled softly, and then glanced at the clock her father kept behind the counter and decided to call it a day. Of course, if her father knew she was closing a half-hour earlier, he would die of apoplexy. The man was an absolute stickler about time. He bragged often that in over twenty years, he'd yet to close the store even one minute before the designated time. Well, maybe he hadn't, but she was certainly going to. After her run-in with Faith, she deserved a little break. Kat grabbed the keys from the nail they always hung on, and without so much as a second thought, walked out the door. Perhaps if she were lucky she'd run into Brendon. But when she stepped out onto the boardwalk, she stepped right into the circle of Grady's Gibson's beefy arms. Fear welled up in her soul when she saw the mean grin on his fleshy face, and the lust in his pitch black eyes. "Let me go, Grady." He threw back his shaggy head and laughed. "Are you sure you want me to do that? You and I can have us a lot of fun if you'd just loosen up." She tried to wrench away from his grasp, but to avail. "I mean it, Grady. Let me go, or else--" His mouth suddenly came down on hers, his teeth grinding hard against the softness of her mouth. She gagged as his hot sour breath swept down on her, panic overwhelming her as she struggled to get away from Desperate and afraid, she bit into his lip. He let out a howl and slapped her across the cheek. Anger heated his gaze as he wiped the blood from his lip. "You like it rough, you little hellcat? Okay, then you get it rough." "The sheriff..." she whispered through her swollen lips. He jerked her hair and brought her face up next to his own. "He's outta town, hell cat, and there ain't another soul here brave enough to stop me when I'm having a good time." He pushed her up against her father's storefront and grabbed the front of her dress with an evil grin. "Let's see what you been hiding under there all these years. Terror washed through her as she tried to fight him off. "Nooo..." *** Brendon surveyed the infirmary proudly. He walked through the adjoining door into the house, the smell of freshly cut lumber strong in his nostrils. It still had some work left to be done, but the workmen had promised they'd be finished with it by the end of the week. His gaze traveled to the wooden crates standing in the middle of the floor. Inside the boxes was the medical equipment he had ordered months ago, while still in Boston. This was the moment he'd been dreaming of since he'd made the decision to become a doctor. Practicing back in his hometown where a good doctor was so sorely needed was what he'd always wanted, and now he was seeing the results of all those years of hard work back east. "There you are, darling! I've looked everywhere for you. Where have you been hiding yourself?" Brendon pasted a smile on his face before he turned around. Damn, it was Faith. Now he'd be obligated to walk her home, when he'd already planned to ask Kat to go swimming. Knowing Faith the way he did, he'd be lucky to make his escape by nightfall...too late to take Kat out. Although he knew Faith wanted to snare him and his money, he gave her an admiring smile. She was dressed in a delicate light-amethyst-colored gown that served only to accentuate her pale blond beauty. He had to hand it to her, she definitely knew how to entice a man. Fortunately for him, it left him cold. Perhaps it wouldn't if he hadn't already seen Kat. God in heaven, but he'd never dreamed that the wild hoyden he'd left behind years ago would turn into such a beautiful woman. The entire time he'd been away they had exchanged letters. They had been best friends forever it seemed like to him, and he had looked forward in returning home and sharing with her the knowledge he'd acquired in medical school. There wasn't a female he knew that loved to talk medicine the way Kat did. Most of the time their eyes would glaze over with boredom and they would nod occasionally pretending an interest they really didn't have, but not his Kat. She was different. Her gorgeous, smoky gray eyes would sparkle with interest as they discussed her grandfather's theories on healing--sometimes agreeing, but sometimes disagreeing. Either way he had enjoyed their debates immensely and had missed her sorely while he was gone. He had looked forward to seeing her at his welcome home party, expecting to see his old friend unchanged, except for being older. But he'd gotten the shock of his life when a shapely, petite woman with Kat's dark hair and almond shaped, gray eyes had run up to greet him, hugging him tightly. He had tried to spend every second with her at the party, but Faith had kept dragging him off, keeping him busy fetching her punch and dancing with her. He had been a gentleman about it, the way his mother had taught him, taking it with good grace, but the woman was fast becoming a nuisance. After a couple of days of her constant company, he'd tried to discourage her as gently as he possibly could, but she was one hardheaded female. He watched her now with annoyed amusement as she postured and posed for his benefit. "You won't believe the day I've had," she said, touching her brow with a theatrical motion. "I had a run-in with that wretched Durwood boy." "What did he do this time?" Brendon sat down on one of the crates and crossed his arms in front of him. "Steal your best dress?" Faith's hand fluttered to her throat. "Nothing this time, but I had every intention of boxing his ears for what he did to me, last Sunday. But he ran into the mercantile and your friend Kathleen had the audacity to protect him." "Kat was there?" Brendon asked in surprise. "Indeed she was. However, I must say that she's not much of a lady. She actually shoved me, can you imagine?" Faith puffed up with indignation. Brendon's lips twitched. "Yes, I can very well imagine Kat doing that. She always did champion the underdog." "Underdog! That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard. The Durwood boy is well known for his unruly behavior. I'm the underdog, not that heathen child." "I'm sure you're right, Faith," he said, thinking if he could hurry her along he might just have enough time to slip into the mercantile and see Kat before she closed for the day. "But enough about the Durwood kid. Why don't I walk you home?" He stood and offered her his arm. "You never did tell me where you were all day." Faith tucked her hands into the crook of his arm. "I am a Doctor, Faith. I do have patients to visit," Brendon replied dryly as he locked the door behind them. He was really getting tired of her clinging to him and acting as though they were courting. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Oh, there had been women in his life back east, but none of them were willing to take second place to his intense passion of becoming a doctor. His hours were long and hard, and most women he encountered usually drifted away after a couple of weeks of broken engagements. It never bothered him because he was to caught-up in his studies to really give a damn. But then he'd came home, and at his homecoming party caught a glimpse of Kat for the first time in five years. Stunned, he could only stare at the beguiling beauty that had taken the place of his childhood friend. Her long dark hair and golden skin made her stand out like a rose in full bloom, and for him, the other women paled in comparison. But he did worry about their friendship, and whether it could withstand this new attraction he felt for Kat. What if this awareness between them destroyed their relationship? The idea of losing his very best friend frightened him. He glanced over at Faith and frowned when her arm tightened possessively around his. He'd worry about Kat later. Right now he had worse problems, namely Faith Baldwin, if he could just get this silly woman to leave him alone for a few minutes...possibly without hurting her feelings, he could see Kat. "Of course you have an obligation to your patients. How silly of me," Faith gushed, hanging tightly to Brendon's coat sleeve. Brendon didn't bother to respond. The sooner he took her home, the better. He was already getting a headache. "Nooo..." The sound of Kat's voice jolted through Brendon like lightening on a hot summer day. He felt a surge of rage as he caught sight of Grady with Kat. Grady had her pushed up against her father's storefront, and she was struggling frantically as a laughing Grady grounded his mouth against hers. The skin at the back of Brendon's neck grew taut, all his nerve endings buzzed with alarm. His heart thundered in his ears and a red mist hazed his vision. He strode forward purposefully with every intention of ripping Grady's heart out and stuffing it in his mouth. Faith pulled him back. "What are you doing, Brendon. You have no right to interfere with a girl and her beau. Though I must say, such scandalous behavior in public will do much to ruin Kat's reputation." "Are you blind, woman? The man is assaulting her in broad daylight. He's not her beau, and if I have anything to do with it, he never will be." Brendon shook the clinging Faith off his arm. Then he charged onto the plank boardwalk, knocking Grady aside with a brutal thrust. Grady went sprawling off the boardwalk into the dusty street. Brendon stood over him, breathing heavily, his face, unyielding as granite. "If you ever touch Kat again, I'll kill you." His voice was low and deadly. Grady laughed. An ugly sound. He got up slowly, wiping again at the blood from his thin-lipped mouth. "So one woman ain't enough for you, doc. You think being one of the rich, mighty Morgans, lets you get away with anything, huh doc?" Out of the corner of his eye, Brendon saw Kat flush at Grady's taunt. His anger became a scalding fury. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the front of Grady's homespun shirt. "No. Stop it, Brendon," Kat shouted. "People are watching." Brendon's vision cleared; he saw that Kat was right, they did indeed have a very attentive audience. He pushed Grady away from him with a snort of disgust. "You're not worth it. Get out of here before I do something I regret." Grady smiled insolently, and with a last, leering look at Kat, he picked his hat up out of the dust and staggered off. "Really Brendon. I don't see why you had to do that," Faith said in her most annoyed voice. "After all, if Kat hadn't encouraged him, nothing would have happened in the first place." Kat stared at Faith in horror. Tears slipped down her face unheeded when she noticed a few of the townspeople, people who had known her all of her life, watching her with what she imagined as open contempt and disapproval. "No…It's not true," she whispered. She spun around and began to run. Brendon turned to Faith; the savage look in his eyes made Faith gasp, she stepped back involuntarily. "What the hell is the matter with you, Faith? You know damn well that black-hearted bastard was attacking Kat." "For all we know, Kat could have just been playing hard to get." Faith said coldly. "I forgive you for making such a spectacle of yourself, now, if you're quite finished, I'd like to go home." "Then you will have to go without me." Brendon turned away. "Wait Brendon, where are you going?" Faith dragged at his arm. "You just can't leave me out on the street." "To see about Kat." Brendon threw over his shoulder, jerking his arm from her grasp. "Brendon Morgan, if you go after her, don't bother coming back," Faith shouted at his back. Brendon stopped in mid-stride. All pretense of politeness gone. He turned back around slowly. "I don't know where you got this idea that there's anything between you and me. But let me make it perfectly clear to you now. There is nothing between us, not even friendship, do you understand?" Brendon asked, his voice held a note of finality that no one listening to them could mistake. Faith stamped her foot in exasperation as she watched Brendon walk away from her. "You're going to regret this someday, Brendon," she shouted after him. "You just wait and see." Faith could hear a few chuckles behind her; she twirled around, head held high, and pushed her way through the murmuring crowd. "Get out of my way!"