Katie's Heart ~~ Part One of the Montana Series

~Chapter Eleven~

June 5, 2016

The day dawned as dark and as dreary as Katie's mood. She was tired, bone tired and knew that today would be her hardest day yet. Today was Justin's funeral.  Katie glanced at the clock on her nightstand and seeing that it was only eight in the morning. Katie sighed, knowing that today was going to be a long day and she still  had two hours before she needed to get ready.

This week had been a whirlwind of activity and she had been so busy trying to keep everything together. The boys were devastated at the passing of Justin, as they should be. Most nights she had one if not all five of the bigger boys in her bed, which made sleeping impossible. She hadn't been eating right, just the thought of food was making her sick.  The ranch was in its busy calving season with new babies being born daily and they had a break in the fence on two separate nights. Katie refused to let Sam and the other cowboys go without her. She owed it to Justin to make the ranch a success for their boys.

Sighing again and rubbing her dry eyes, Katie pushed herself up from her bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping twins. Walking into her ensuite she studied herself in the mirror. She had lost weight from caring for Justin and not herself.  Her eyes didn't have the usual bright sparkle, they just didn't shine as brightly anymore. She had dark black circles underneath her eyes and her mouth turned in a frown making her look older than her 29 years. Shaking her head, Katie grabbed her favorite robe, the one she had taken from Justin all those years ago, and headed towards the kitchen.  As she approached the kitchen she heard the quiet murmuring of Colten, Sam, and Penny.

"Morning," Katie all but whispered walking into the room and stopping the conversation. "I'm sorry I wasn't up to help you feed, Sam. It was a rough night with the twins." Katie gave a small sad smile to Penny as she took the mug of hot chocolate from her.

"It's no problem, Ms. Katie. It's my job anyway. You know I love morning feedings on the ranch." Sam responded with a smile noting how tired Katie really looked. "Is there anything we can do to help you get ready for today?"

Katie frowned, not looking at anyone. She just shook her head and bit her trembling lip. Looking up she saw three concerned faces watching her intently.

"No thank you. I've got the boy's suits ready. Just waiting on them to wake up."

"Well then." Sam nodded. "I need to ride out to the east pasture and check on a few heifers. If you need to get a hold of me, I'll have my mobile."

Katie thanked him absentmindedly and turned to Penny who was making pancakes.

"Thanks for staying on and helping me, Penny. I don't know what I would've done without you here," Katie smiled at her friend and nodded at Colten before she left the room and headed upstairs to wake the boys and get them ready.

"I'm worried about her," Penny said softly watching Katie's back as she retreated from the room. " You know she told me she hasn't cried since the night Justin died. She's a strong woman, but I'm afraid she'll break soon."

Colten studied Penny closely. "You and Katie are good friends. I'm glad she has you."

"Yeah," Penny offered a sad smile. "She hasn't had it easy, especially with the way her dad snubbed her. People would say horrible things about her. Some still do."

"What are you talking about?" Colten questioned gobsmacked that anyone would treat Katie badly. She had a heart of gold.

"It was after you left.  Her dad kicked her out. Basically called her a whore and said she wasn't worth being his daughter. That's one reason why Justin married her. Then after they had Michael some of the townsfolk confronted her in the grocery store one day. Told her she was a harlot trading one brother for another. It was about the time of my accident and she was helping Gran when I was in the hospital. Gran said she showed up with tears pouring down her face but still cleaned as promised. She did this with two little boys and a ranch to care for. Katie's amazing. I hate her life has turned out this way."