Free The Girl Most Likely To... by Susan Donovan Page B

or more of her father's bizarre creations displayed at various intervals through the gallery. If nothing else, it seemed her father's career was still in full swing.
    Kat shoved her hands into her pockets and continued on down the street.
    She glanced to the right, down College Avenue toward the classic limestone buildings of the campus. It struck her as funny how she'd once fought so hard against her parents' plans for her. They expected her to attend Mountain Laurel on a faculty scholarship, but she stubbornly fought to be allowed to go anywhere but the local college. She laughed to herself softlyshe'd sure won that battle, and here she was twenty years later, staring at the quaint campus with longing.
    As she strolled on, Kat watched each puff of her breath mix with the cold air. She had no clear idea where she was headed or what time it was but felt the need to keep walking. She no longer felt in a rush to leave town, not after that head-spinning reunion with Riley. She'd shoved a note under Nola's door before she left the B and B: /I went out to get some fresh air. Take all the time you need this morning. We have to talk!/ What they'd be discussing was a bit unclear to Kat at the moment, since she didn't know exactly what had happened last night. Riley seemed pleased enough when he left, but preoccupied, maybe even unsure. Well, of course he was! How else could he possibly feel? How else could /she/ possibly feel? How else would two people feel after trying to make up for twenty years of anger, loneliness, and hurt in one night? Without words? Because there'd been very little talking going on, that was for sure. The night had been 90 percent desperate physical need and 10 percent dozing off. The whole surreal business had left her a jumble of sensations, raw and off-balance.
    As Kat continued to walk, she took inventory of herself. Her spirit felt sore. Her heart was full enough to burst. And her body was a wreckinsides swollen and hot, lips puffy, right hip bruised from crashing into the nightstand at some point.
    But it was her mind that had really taken a beating. It was careening all over the place. Unrealistic hope kept popping into her head, fantasies of herself and Rileyalong with Aidanpiecing together some kind of family where there'd never been one. It was a seductive vision. And impossible. Kat knew there'd be nothing left after they'd hacked their way through twenty years of bitterness. Too much to forgive. Too much to risk.
    Kat extracted her Dolce amp; Gabbana sunglasses from her jacket pocket and slipped them on to shield her eyes from the morning sun. She focused on the sound of her shoes tapping against the sidewalk, letting her arms swing free at her sides. It was Kat's policy to never put herself in a position where a man could hurt her. She'd had some good times with men, yes. But she never loved any of them, or allowed herself to believe they loved her. It was a policy that had worked for her.
    Suddenly, Kat stopped, realizing where she'd walked. Her parents' house was just a few houses down, on Forest Drive, but she would not be going there. She didn't even turn her head to look. As if on autopilot, she continued walking, stopping only when she arrived in front of what had always been the unofficial heart of town. She stared at the hard-to-miss monstrosity of a house, its redbrick tower rising sharply into the sky, five thick columns along the front porch, the whole structure the same outrageous spectacle it had always been. As a kid she'd heard that the house was featured in most every American architecture textbook because of its unusual combination of design elements. Tourists would sometimes stop their cars across the street and stare, take pictures, or even sketch the house. All Kat knew was that for as long as she'd been alive it had been the Bohland House, her secret childhood refuge, home of Big Daddy Bohland and his boys. And at that moment she stood gawking at it, like a fool, not even sure