Tales of the Ragoon, Kate's Movie Star (5 page)

During the following week, Runyon did not do
much of anything. Occasionally the boys allowed him to play video
games with them, but he could tell that they were not really
enthused about it. Carlos and Matt were usually at work most of the
day. Neither had really warmed to Runyon. And Kate was always busy
working.

Carlos and Matt came home one night carrying
a birthday cake. Runyon found out that Kate was now seventeen. He
was strangely annoyed that Kate had not told him that her birthday
was approaching. The next day he called a plumber, and he paid her
to install a new garbage disposal. That surprised Kate. She clucked
about the expense until he reminded her that they still had much of
the rebate money from his car.

Runyon would have liked to spend some time
with Kate. The longer he spent in her presence, the more
interesting she seemed. But she was always busy. There was laundry
to do, dishes to be washed, floors to be mopped and a host of other
jobs. Once, when he came looking for breakfast, he saw her though
the kitchen window using a string trimmer on the grass at the base
of the wrought iron fence that encased the front yard. He wondered
why Pete or Juan did not have that chore.

Gradually, it dawned on Runyon that Kate was
acting as the mother of the house. Any domestic work that had to be
done seemed to be hers to do. And he realized that the male members
of the house were perfectly content to let her do the work.

One very hot Saturday afternoon, just over a
week since Kate and Runyon had returned from the MHRC, Kate was
running a little late coming home from the store. She had needed to
get milk, bread and a few other items. Matt had come home early and
the other boys were grousing about dinner being late. Runyon had
just finished taking a cool shower, and he was sitting at the
kitchen table.

When Kate came in the door, she was set upon
by three grumbling males. Runyon watched as she wiped sweat off her
brow. He could tell that she was tired. Still she began to
apologize, as she carried the heavy bags of groceries to the
counter. A sudden impulse came over Runyon.

“Sorry, guys, but Kate can’t make your dinner
tonight,” he announced. “I’m taking Kate out to dinner.”

If he had announced that he was secretly a
spy for the Ragoon, he could not have brought a more sudden halt to
the sibling’s conversation. Four pairs of startled eyes turned his
way.

“What?” and “Huh?” was the reaction from the
younger boys. Matt scowled at him. Kate just looked puzzled.

Runyon answered the boys. “You heard me. I’m
taking Kate out to dinner. You’ll just have to make your own dinner
for a change.”

“You’re not in charge around here,
Silverstar,” responded Matt.

“No, but I am in charge of Kate,” answered
Runyon. “So she and I are going out to dinner.”

“Runyon,” began Kate in a warning tone of
voice.

“I don’t care what those lizards say,”
declared Matt angrily. “You don’t own Kate.”

“Neither do you,” shot back Runyon just as
angrily.

The kitchen door opened. “What’s going on in
here?” demanded Carlos Garcia. “I could hear you guys all the way
out to the street.”

There was a babble of explanations for a few
minutes, and then their voices quieted down. Carlos looked at his
kids, and then he turned to Runyon.

“So you say that you are taking Katey out to
dinner, and that we will have to prepare our own meal?” asked
Carlos.

“That’s right,” stated the younger man
defiantly.

For a brief interval, there was silence from
everyone. Kate realized that she was holding her breath. Then Kate
hastened to intervene.

“Dad, never mind him, I can…”

“No, Katey,” said Carlos as he interrupted
his daughter. “That’s a good idea. You go with Runyon and have
dinner.”

Stunned, Kate just looked at him. Carlos
glanced at his sons. “We’re not helpless, are we?” he demanded
sharply.

The three young men responded with a
grumbling chorus of, “No.”

Carlos turned to Runyon. There was another
moment of silence, as Kate’s father considered the actor.

“There is a restaurant in the hotel on
Westside Boulevard. They have good food there. They make a good
steak Diane. And they get seafood every day from the bay. Katey can
show you where the hotel is.”

He turned to his daughter. “Katey, you go
take a shower, and get cleaned up. You smell a little bit.”

“Dad!” exclaimed his embarrassed daughter who
quickly left the room in a huff.

By the time Kate returned, dressed in her
best tight designer jeans and a low scooped modestly priced blouse,
the boys had nuked macaroni and cheese and were enthusiastically
digging in. Runyon was standing awkwardly by the kitchen door.

Matt scowled when he saw how Kate was
dressed. Even though she had been sympathetic to him, Kate felt
like smacking her older brother. He is being such a pain, she
thought. Her Dad gave her a cheerful good-bye wave. Then she turned
toward Runyon. Runyon gave her his trademarked smile. She frowned
at him.

They traveled in silence most of the way to
the hotel before Runyon spoke.

“Look, I could say that I’m sorry, okay?” he
said. “But, I’m not. I just think that you needed to have a break
for a change.”

“I’m not stupid. I know what you were doing,”
replied Kate. She debated what to say next. “It’s just that, ever
since my Mom left us, I’ve been doing the stuff that she used to
do. They are use to it. I’m use to it.”

Runyon didn’t say anything for a while, but
then he asked cautiously, “Do you ever hear from your Mom? Or is
she…?”

“Dead? No, she’s alive and well and living in
Las Vegas. She’s married again to a guy that doesn’t want children,
the same as her.”

Now Kate was silent before speaking
again.

“I went to see her once. It was not long
after she left. I saw the divorce papers in my Dad’s room. There
was an address. Early one morning, instead of going to school, I
got a bus ticket to Barstow, and from there I caught the bus to Las
Vegas.

“When I got to Vegas, I found that they lived
about five miles away in a suburb. It was getting late. I didn’t
have her phone number, so I hiked the five miles. When I got there,
I was so tired. I hoped that she would be glad to see me. Instead,
she was upset. I had barged in on the little world that she had
created. She called my father, and then she drove me back to the
bus station and left me there. I waited four hours until the next
bus to Barstow.”

She gave him a grim smile. “So there. Now you
know poor Kate’s sad tale. There’s the hotel.” She pointed to the
entrance to the parking lot.

They sat down to their meal in silence, both
subdued by Kate’s revelation. She was mentally kicking herself for
telling him about her mother. Runyon drummed his fingers on the
table. Someone came by and set glasses of water in front of them.
Runyon remarked on the nice décor in the restaurant. Gradually the
mood lightened.

He really is naturally charming, Kate thought
to herself, as she watched a man carrying menus approach.

“May I offer you a glass of fine wine this
evening?” asked the man as he sat the menus in front of Kate and
Runyon.

Runyon responded by asking for something that
Kate had never heard of. The man nodded.

“And a glass for your lady?” he asked
pleasantly.

Kate gave him a bright smile and opened her
mouth to consent to his offer.

“None for her, thank you,” Runyon replied for
Kate with a warning glance at the girl sitting opposite him.

Kate scowled at him. He was depriving her of
an excellent opportunity to display her maturity. When the waiter
turned away, she stuck her tongue out at Runyon who promptly choked
on the sip of water that he was taking. That gave Kate a small
measure of satisfaction, even when Runyon chuckled at her.

It wasn’t long before he had her smiling. He
shared several humorous tales of his Hollywood friends. He told her
about places that he had been. By the end of their meal, Kate
realized that she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. She was a lot
less stressed as they drove away from the hotel.

As they were moving along Main Street, Runyon
remarked on the new theater complex. Kate mentioned that a movie
that she wanted to see was playing. Runyon groaned and derisively
used the term, ‘chick flick.’ He pointed out that an action movie
was also playing. A few minutes later, Runyon and Kate were
standing in front of the ticket office arguing. Finally, they
compromised. Grumbling under his breath, Runyon purchased tickets
to the ‘chick flick.’

The movie was a lot better than he had
expected. And when he realized that Kate was genuinely enthralled,
Runyon was glad that he had given in. Kate was truly enjoying the
movie, even if, every now and then, she felt a little tingle when
her fingers slid against Runyon’s as they reached simultaneously
into the large bucket of buttered popcorn.

As they got into his car, Runyon was teasing
Kate about tearing up during the movie. She indignantly replied
that she never had.

“So where do couples go to make out after a
date?” asked Runyon.

“McConnell Park,” answered Kate promptly, and
then she added hastily, “Not that I’ve ever been there.”

Runyon laughed. “We had a good time for our
first date,” he said as he parked in front of Kate’s house.

Kate was startled. “This wasn’t a date,” she
said as she shook her head.

“We went to dinner, and then we saw a movie,”
replied Runyon. “I hate to break it to you, Kate, but most people
consider that a date.”

He paused as Kate reached the front step.

“Kate.”

She turned, still thinking about what he had
just said. Runyon put his hand on the back of her head, leaned
forward and kissed her.

Chapter Three

Runyon Settles In

“Hey!” she declared softly as she pulled
away.

Runyon smiled his trademarked smile. Kate
ignored it.

“You could have asked. You’re supposed to
ask. And remember, the Ragoon rules say that I can refuse.”

“It was just a kiss, Kate.” Then he frowned.
“That wasn’t your first kiss, was it? You do know how to kiss,
don’t you?”

Exasperated, Kate grabbed Runyon’s head
between her hands and brought his face down to hers. She kissed him
hard and then quickly slid her tongue deep into his mouth, just as
her father opened the door.

Kate heard the door, heard her father clear
his throat, and suddenly realized how the situation must seem. She
flung herself back and away from Runyon, her face on fire.

“Uh…uh…,” she stuttered.

Her father looked pained. Runyon was trying
hard to keep a straight face.

“Uh...,” she said one more time.

Carlos looked down at his feet.

“Sorry, Katey” he growled. He turned and went
back into the house.

Kate turned to Runyon. “This is all your
fault!” she hissed.

Runyon could barely contain himself.

“My fault?” he said through his laughter.
“You were the one licking my tonsils. You could have asked.”

Kate’s jaw dropped. That was so unfair, her
mind screamed. Steaming, she turned, stormed into the house, and
shut the door in his face. His laughter grew louder.

Later that night, after she had calmed down
and had retired to her bed, she thought about the evening’s events.
It had been a date, she admitted to herself. She had gone out on a
date with Runyon Silverstar, a genuine Hollywood actor. And she had
had a good time. A fun time.

As she lay in her darkened room staring at
the ceiling, she licked her lips. She remembered his kiss. And even
though it had become embarrassing, she remembered with a smile that
moment when she had Frenched him, and how surprised he had
been.

Kate woke up late the next morning and
dragged herself into the kitchen. To her surprise, there were no
dirty dishes on the counters or even in the sink. They were all in
the dishwasher and it was humming. Juan was wiping his hands on a
dishtowel.

“Morning, Kate,” he said as he greeted
her.

Kate looked around the kitchen. “You don’t
have to do that. Runyon was just…”

“It’s okay, Kate,” interrupted Juan. “Matt
talked to Pete and me. Like, how you’re doing everything and like,
how we’re old enough now to do stuff around the house. Runyon was
right, Kate. I mean, you’re not our Mom, you know? You’re our
sister.”

“Well, yeah,” responded Kate. “Well, okay,
thanks.”

It took them a while to get used to it, and
every now and then there was some backsliding, but over the next
few weeks a lot of the housework was taken over by Kate’s brothers.
The one thing that Kate insisted on doing herself was the white
laundry. She didn’t want to open the washing machine door and find
a bleeding red shirt accidentally added to the white t-shirts and
underwear.

Runyon insisted on helping too, although
really he wasn’t very good at it. And sometimes he was a little too
helpful. Once, Kate found him by the dryer folding her underwear.
He was holding up and admiring her only pair of flimsy black
panties. With a screech, she grabbed her dainties and shooed him
out of the room.

Occasionally, he demanded that they go out
together. She noticed that this often happened when she was feeling
like she needed a break. But sometimes it was just to get away from
the house. She didn’t protest. Sometimes she even let him kiss her
once when they got home. To be honest, she actually looked forward
to those kisses. But she didn’t play tongue tag with him anymore.
Well once, when she was feeling really magnanimous, she did.

Then the first day of school arrived. It was
early September now and the days were a little cooler. Runyon
picked the previous evening to wash all of the jeans. The last
batch had been her jeans. She had been neglecting that particular
pile, so when she realized that he had forgotten to put them in the
dryer, she also found that she didn’t have any jeans to wear. At
least, she had none that she could fit into.