03_A Family To Call Her Own (22 page)

“She’s pretty,” Isabel stated shyly. “And soft.”

“Yes, she is,” he agreed. “Maybe later you’d like to hold her.”

“Could I?” she asked, her eyes growing big.

“I think we could arrange that. You just remind me if I forget, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’d say it’s time to head home,” Sam declared, shifting Emily in her arms. “This little lady is getting hungry.”

Brad stood up. “We’ll meet you there, okay?” he said to Rebecca and Zach.

“Sounds good,” Zach replied.

As they made their way to Zach’s car, he turned to Rebecca with a smile. “You have a nice family.”

She smiled ruefully. “Thanks. I love them all dearly. But they can be a little too outspoken at times. Except Brad, of course. He’s very diplomatic.”

“And very protective.”

She looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “He obviously cares about you very much. And he was clearly concerned about my…intentions.”

She stared at him curiously as he opened the back door and leaned in to buckle Isabel into her seat belt.

“How in the world could you pick that up from such a brief conversation?” she asked when he emerged.

He straightened up and grinned as he shut Isabel’s door and opened Rebecca’s. “It must be a man thing. But the message was clear, trust me.”

As Rebecca slipped into her seat, she frowned thoughtfully. She wasn’t sure how Zach had picked up so much when only a dozen words had been exchanged, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. Brad
was
protective. He knew her feelings were easily bruised and always did everything in his power to make sure she wasn’t hurt. So of course he would be concerned about a man who suddenly appeared out of the fog, admittedly for a brief stay, and who could disappear just as quickly. Because a man like that could easily leave a broken heart in his wake. Her heart. Given the circumstances, it was natural that Brad wondered about Zach’s intentions.

As a matter of fact, so did Rebecca.

“Happy birthday!” Sam, Henry and Nick chorused as Sam entered the dining room with a decorated cake topped with flickering candles.

“Is it your birthday?” Isabel asked, turning to Rebecca in surprise.

“No, honey. My birthday was a month ago,” she explained, frowning in confusion at the three grinning faces. “What’s this all about?”

“Well, you didn’t think we’d forget to celebrate your birthday, did you?” Sam asked. “Okay, so it’s a little late. Blame it on the little gal now sleeping soundly down the hall.”

Rebecca shook her head and smiled. “You guys are too much. I’m going to be spoiled after this year, with two birthday celebrations!”

“Two?” Sam repeated, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

Rebecca didn’t even try to sidestep the question. She’d given up the “just friends” pretense hours ago. “Zach took me out for a dinner a couple of days after my birthday,” she explained.

“Good for him,” Sam asserted promptly. “The fun factor in your life could use a boost. You need to work on that with her, Zach,” Sam declared as she deposited the cake in front of Rebecca.

“I try, but she’s a pretty hard sell,” he admitted.

“Be persistent,” Henry advised firmly. “Persistence pays.”

“I’ll remember that,” Zach replied with a chuckle.

“Will you all stop?” Rebecca protested, her face flaming. “I make time for fun!”

“When?” Henry countered.

“Dad.” Brad’s quietly authoritative voice put an end to the inquisition. “Go ahead, Rebecca, make a wish and blow out the candles,” he suggested, turning to her with an understanding smile.

She sent him a grateful look before complying and was rewarded with a round of applause as the last candle was extinguished.

“What did you wish for?” Isabel asked.

“It won’t come true if I tell, sweetie,” Rebecca replied with a smile.

“Oh.” Isabel’s face fell. “Well, was I in it?” she asked hopefully.

“In a way,” Rebecca hedged.

“Was Uncle Zach?”

Again Brad came to the rescue. “Isabel, how would you like a piece of cake with a big rose on it?” he asked, earning Rebecca’s gratitude once more.

Her attention effectively diverted, she nodded her head eagerly, supervising as Sam cut a generous piece with a huge rose in the middle.

When the last bite of cake was consumed a few minutes later, Sam leaned back and groaned. “I’ll never lose the rest of the weight I put on with Emily if I keep this up,” she lamented good-naturedly.

“You look exactly the same to me as you did before,” Rebecca insisted.

“Thanks. But I’ve still got five pounds to go,” Sam admitted ruefully.

“Speaking of new babies…have you ever seen a real baby bunny up close, Isabel?” Henry asked.

“No.”

“Would you like to?”

“Do you have one?” she asked, enthralled.

“No. But I know where there’s a nest, and if we’re real careful, I don’t think the momma rabbit will mind if we take a quick look.”

“Can I, Uncle Zach?” Isabel asked eagerly.

“I don’t see why not.”

Isabel scrambled to her feet, and Henry stood up and reached for her hand.

“Some fresh air sounds like a good idea,” Sam remarked as she also rose. “Why don’t you two take a little stroll to the park down at the corner while Brad and I clean up?” she suggested.

“We can’t leave you to deal with this mess!” Rebecca protested. “I’ll help.”

She started to rise, but Brad placed a hand on her shoulder. “Go ahead, Becka. You deal with kitchen work every day. We can manage here. I know we’re all fascinating company, but I’m sure Zach won’t object to spending part of the day just with you.” He looked at the other man and smiled.

“You’re right,” Zach replied, relieved by the approval he saw in the other man’s eyes. Apparently Rebecca’s brother had decided that Zach could be trusted with his sister.

“But it doesn’t seem right,” she protested once more.

“Rebecca, for heaven’s sake, just go!” Sam insisted. “You’re our guest today. Plus, it’s a belated birthday celebration. So you are
not
going to do dishes. Period. End of discussion. That’s final.” She paused and looked at Brad. “Should I be a little more forceful, do you think?” she asked innocently, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

He chuckled. “I think you made your point. Go ahead, you two. We’ll still be here when you get back. And Henry will keep Isabel entertained.”

Rebecca looked at Zach. They’d had almost no time alone together since Isabel’s arrival, and this opportunity might not come again soon. If she was going to let this relationship progress, now was as good a time as any to start. Besides, things couldn’t get that…involved…in a public park in broad daylight. Or could they? she wondered in sudden alarm, noting the eager, ardent light in Zach’s eyes.

“What do you say, Rebecca?” he asked, the casual tone of his voice at odds with the intensity of his gaze.

With sudden determination she stood up. “It sounds like a good idea to me,” she agreed, her voice slightly breathless. She turned to look at Brad, whose expression was thoughtful, and Sam, who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “We won’t be gone long.”

“Don’t hurry on our account,” Sam declared. “You two just have fun.”

“We will,” Zach promised, smiling down at Rebecca as she joined him in the doorway.

She forced herself to smile back, but as her nerve endings started to tingle, an unsettling question suddenly came to mind. How, exactly, did Zach define
fun?
she wondered nervously.

Chapter Ten

Z
ach would have reached for Rebecca’s hand immediately when they left the house—except that she hid hers in the deep pockets of her full skirt. He knew she was nervous, knew she was probably thinking about the last time they were alone together, and he was determined to put her at ease. He’d just let her take the lead, give her the time she needed to get comfortable.

“I had a note from Josef this morning,” he told her conversationally as they strolled along.

“How is everything?” she asked, turning to him with a worried frown.

“No better, unfortunately. Maybe worse. He’s not a complainer, so it’s hard to tell. But one thing is clear. He misses Isabel desperately.”

“I’m not surprised.” She sighed and looked up at the canopy of flowering trees above her, the peaceful stillness broken only by the call of the birds. “It’s hard to believe on a day like this that somewhere in the world a country is torn apart with strife and terror,” she said softly, her voice troubled.

“Isabel’s only been here a short time, but already I’m dreading the day we have to send her back to that environment.”

“I know what you mean,” he admitted.

“Does she talk about her home very much when she’s with you?” Rebecca asked.

“Only casually. Usually at night, when she’s going to bed. How about with you?”

Rebecca nodded slowly, her face thoughtful. “She tells me quite a bit. Enough to give me a pretty clear picture of her everyday life. I know her family didn’t have much in a material sense, but it seems they made up for it with love. And she obviously misses her parents. I try to keep her busy at the restaurant, giving her little jobs to do or books to read or puzzles to work on, hoping that will keep her from dwelling on her homesickness. It seems to work most of the time. Actually, I’m amazed at how smoothly she’s adapted to such a different environment.”

“I think you can take a lot of credit for that,” Zach remarked quietly. “Isabel has grown very fond of you—which is easy to understand.”

She looked up at him, noted the tender light in his eyes, and averted her glance quickly. “Do you hear from Josef often?” she asked, diverting the spotlight from herself.

“As often as he can get access to a PC, which is every couple of days. Isabel and I check morning and evening for messages, and we send him a note every day when I get home from school.”

“Speaking of school, how’s your problem student doing?”

“Pete Cramer? He’s not a problem anymore. In fact, I heard some teachers in the lounge talking the other day, speculating on why he’s suddenly buckled down and gotten serious about his studies.”

Rebecca smiled. “I could clear up that mystery in one word—you.”

Zach shrugged. “All I did was offer a little encouragement. And some discipline. Very good advice, by the way,” he acknowledged with a smile. “Anyway, I think he’s going to apply for that week-long writing camp this summer in Michigan that I told you about. The only problem is funding. Which brings me to a subject I’ve been meaning to raise. Do you hire any extra wait staff in the summer, high school kids?”

“Yes. Do you think he might be interested?”

He nodded. “It would give him something constructive to do, and he could earn the money for camp. Would you consider talking to him?”

“Absolutely. Have him come over someday after school.”

Zach gave her a grateful smile. “I appreciate it, Rebecca.”

She waved his thanks aside. “I need the help, anyway. And if I can give a job to someone who will really benefit, that’s even better.”

They reached the end of the block and paused to gaze at the small, deserted park.

“Would you like to sit for a few minutes?” Zach asked, nodding toward a convenient bench.

Rebecca thought about the last time they’d sat on a bench together, and her stomach clenched at the memory. A wave of panic washed over her, and she started to refuse. But as her gaze fell on a bed of colorful tulips in the center of the park, the flowers waving encouragingly to her in the gentle breeze, the words died in her throat. She recalled Brad’s sermon, as well as her own promise to herself, and took a slow, steadying breath.

“Yes. That would be nice.”

Zach took her elbow as they made their way across the uneven ground, then sat beside her on the wooden bench.

“Nice spot,” he remarked.

She forced herself to lean back, then folded her hands primly in her lap and glanced around. “Yes. Sam and Brad were glad there was a park close by, with swings and all, so Emily will have a place to play near home when she gets older. Of course, they didn’t buy the house because of that. They didn’t know then there would even be an Emily. They just liked the house. And that contemporary ranch style suits them, don’t you think?” she rattled off breathlessly.

“Mmm-hmm. And I like them a lot. They seem like good people,” Zach replied, acutely aware of her unease yet determined not to let that deter him from broaching the subject that had been on his mind for days. “But let’s talk about us for a minute, okay?”

Rebecca glanced down, twisting her hands nervously in her lap. After a long pause she spoke softly. “Is…is there an ‘us’?” she asked, her voice quavering slightly.

“I’d like for there to be.”

“Even…even after what happened the night you…you took me to dinner?” Her voice was tentative, uncertain.

“Let’s talk about that, too.”

Rebecca forced herself to look up at him, and the caring and kindness—and concern—she saw in his eyes made her throat tighten. She swallowed with difficulty, searching for an explanation that would be enough to satisfy him but not enough to expose her darkest secret. “I-I’m not a woman who likes to be touched very much.” Her voice was so soft he had to lean close to hear her.

The obvious question hovered on his lips, but he refrained from asking it. He doubted whether she would tell him why, anyway, not at this point in their relationship. So he’d have to approach her reply from a different direction.

“In general—or just by me?” he asked, striving for a teasing tone.

“In general.”

There was silence for a moment, and when he spoke his voice was gentle. “Touching is part of a relationship between two people who like each other, Rebecca.”

She was aware of that. It was the source of her fear. “I know.”

“Do you like me?”

“Yes.” Her voice was a mere whisper.

“Then maybe you should define what you mean by touching,” he suggested quietly. He reached over and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers, stroking the side of her hand with his thumb. “Does this kind of touching bother you?”