Her mother was pregnant by some unknown lover, guaranteeing Wilder infamy for another generation. Kitty had confessed to herself she was in love with Dylan. And as for him ... well, he'd virtually told her he loved Hot Water but thought he'd failed it. What was left of her heart after that revelation, he'd gone on to completely shred by inviting her to L.A. After the divorce.
Atop the nearby rise that was Alicia's grave site, Kitty caught sight of Bram Bennett, and her footsteps faltered. Bram grieved for the loss of control in his life and Kitty couldn't blame him now. She felt exactly the same way. Helpless. Hopeless.
There was nothing she could do about Samantha. Nothing she could do about loving Dylan. And she couldn't make his half invitation to L.A. anything more concrete ... or conventional.
The only power she had was the power of the secret she'd been keeping, even through another night of tender and passionate lovemaking. The secret that tomorrow the Odd Fellows would be naming the park after Dylan. She still hadn't told him.
She swung open the gate between the cemetery and the park just as the fiddlers stopped playing on the temporary stage set up for the weekend. The park teemed with people, townsfolk as well as tourists already in for the Heritage festivities. Once the fiddlers shuffled off, a strange hush came over the crowd when a spotlight focused on the stage, illuminating a microphone centered there. In the deepening dusk, Hot Water's mayor approached it, the mike's metal stand glittering.
Kitty frowned and glanced at the man nearest her, a firefighter with the county fire department. "Phil, what's going on?" she asked.
He shrugged his beefy shoulders. "Something big, rumor has it. I have no idea."
The microphone squealed and a couple of technicians scurried over for an adjustment. Kitty continued to frown. Had the park-naming been rescheduled for tonight? The mayor of Hot Water traditionally opened Heritage Day at a 9 A.M. ceremony, set for tomorrow morning. Kitty had supposed he'd give his speech about Dylan then.
Anxious to be near Dylan if it happened now, Kitty edged her way around the hundreds gathered in front of the stage, searching for him. But when the mayor eventually started speaking, she still hadn't located Dylan.
"Good evening," Mayor Art Ames boomed, the round tones of his voice matching the roundness of his Santabelly. "It's going to be a very special Heritage Day tomorrow, without a doubt. But I have something interesting to tell you all tonight too."
Still looking for Dylan, Kitty joined some people standing on the benches of a picnic table in the rear. But it was almost dark now, and she couldn't pick out individuals. Then, from the vicinity of the stage, a near-blinding light was trained on the throng.
The mayor's nervous chuckle grated through the microphone. "I told you it was something interesting. Even to the media."
It was the light from a professional video camera, Kitty realized, astonished. Surprised murmurs erupted all around and Mayor Ames held his palms out for quiet. "Please. Let me finish. I'd like you all to know that today Bram Bennett finalized a business deal that included selling the piece of land that encompasses our Old Town."
"What?" Kitty said aloud, echoing the loud dismay of many in the audience.
"Shh, shh." The mayor held out his palms again. "Please. While I'm sure we're all sorry that Bram no longer owns that piece of property which is so important to us all, the good news is that the new owner wants to reassure everyone that no changes will be made in its operation or profit sharing."
Kitty blinked, still stunned. How could she not have known Bram was thinking of selling, let alone that someone was interested in buying? No one had come through the living-history district looking to purchase it, she was sure of that. But who would buy it sight unseen?
Mayor Ames was smiling now, gesturing toward the shadows at the bottom left of the stage. "And I'd like to introduce you to the new owner now. It's my honor - " He chuckled. "Honest, that was a pun I didn't see coming, folks. I should say, it's my pleasure to present ... Honor Witherspoon."
Kitty's breath stuck in her throat as an unfamiliar young woman walked toward the microphone. From both sides of the crowd, flashbulbs burst like sparklers in the darkness. The young woman grimaced.
The expression didn't mar her perfection. Even from here, Kitty could see