Coming Home (40 page)

“Right, sorry. Thank you, Jack. I’m going to, um, go back to the party.”

As Ashton hightailed it out of the kitchen, Jack took a moment by himself to absorb the new blow. His daughters were long grown and out of the house, living on their own and thriving in their chosen careers, but they’d always be his little girls. And now two of them would soon be married, or so it seemed likely.

Jamie came in to get another beer and closed the fridge, startling when he saw Jack there. “Shit, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Sorry.”

“What’re you doing in here all by yourself?”

“I wasn’t by myself.” He told Jamie about the conversation with Ashton.

“Holy double whammy, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“What’d you say to him?”

“What could I say? He said he loves her, he’ll always love her.” Jack shrugged. “I gave him my blessing.”

“Reid said those same things, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, but this is different.”

“I know.”

Jack glanced at the man who’d been his best friend since their first day of college, his business partner for most of his adult life and his brother-in-law for eleven years. “What?”

“I had a talk with Kate earlier.”

“I saw you two go off together.”

“She hauled me away before I could take a swing at her fiancé.”

“Did he say something to you?”

“No. Mostly he stood there and let me rage at him. And then Kate hauled me away and took me to meet her horse.” Jamie pause for a second. “She really loves the guy, Jack.”

“Yes.”

“I mean, really,
really
.”

“I know.”

“She said she’s going into it knowing they might only get twenty or thirty years. But she wants to spend every second of that time with him. She…”

Jack looked over at him, surprised to see Jamie wrestling with his emotions.

“She asked me to love her more than I hate him.”

“Ouch.”

“No kidding. I think we both need to do that, you know? It’s none of my business, but if I was butting in, I’d say you probably owe Reid the same courtesy you just gave Ashton.”

“It’s your business, and you’re not butting in. And besides, I happen to agree with you.”

“Really?”

Jack nodded. “He’s what she wants. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.” He paused. “Do you know that before today I’d never seen them together, other than the time I caught them in the car? I’d never seen them as a couple. I only had the vision of one bad day upon which to frame my entire point of reference where they were concerned.”

“They do seem devoted to each other.”

“Indeed. And what more could any father want for his daughter than a man who is utterly devoted to her?”

“Nothing, I suppose. Are you going to tell him that?”

“As soon as I get the chance.”

Reid was already in bed by the time Kate got there just after midnight. She’d gone around one more time to make sure everyone knew where the extra blankets, pillows and towels could be found. In the living room, she’d discovered her brother Eric sacked out on the sofa. She covered him with a blanket and then planted a kiss on his cheek because she could.

He’d gotten so grown up since she last saw him. According to Andi, he was shaving and had a girlfriend at home, not that Kate was allowed to ask him about either of those things.

“What’re you thinking about?” Reid asked as he gathered her in close to him.

“My brother Eric. He became a man when I wasn’t looking.”

“It happens. Did you have a good time tonight?”

“It was wonderful. Everything I’d hoped for, and then some. How about you?”

“Much better than expected. And the song… Wow, Kate. You blew me away with the new verse.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“I loved it.”

“Let me turn over so I can kiss you.”

He released his tight hold on her, but only for the time it took her to turn to face him. Then she was right back in his arms again.
 

She found his lips in the dark, running her tongue over his bottom lip, teasing and cajoling until he allowed her in. Their tongues mated and tangled as his hands found their way under her shirt.

Wanting him desperately, Kate arched into him, tightening her arms around his neck.
 

Reid drew back from the kiss, eliciting a whimper of protest from her.

“It was just getting good.”

“It’s always good.”

“Then come back.”

“I can’t make love to you when half your parents are sleeping upstairs.”

She wrapped her hand around the erection that made a liar out of him. “Yes, you can.”

With his hand over hers, he stopped her from stroking him. “No, I can’t.”

“Seriously? You’re going to make me wait days and days and days?”

“It’s only two days, and you’ll survive. It’s enough that I’m sleeping with you while they’re here.”

“Of course you’re sleeping with me. You
live
here.”

“Let’s wait, baby. It’s only two days, and think about how amazing our wedding night will be if we wait.”

She squeezed him, drawing a tortured groan from him. “I don’t want to wait.”

He peeled her fingers off his erection. “Katherine…”

“Oh my God!” She flopped onto her back. “You’re serious!”

“Yes, I’m serious. It’s also because you’re running around here like a crazy woman seeing to their every need. You, my pregnant love, need your sleep.”

“You’re not the boss of me.”

He laughed, as she’d hoped he would. “Now you sound like a five-year-old.”

“You aren’t going to deny me what I want just because I’m pregnant, are you?”

“I’ll never deny you anything—after we’re married and as long as the doctor says it’s safe.”

“Fine.”

“That’s my girl. Now go to asleep.”

Kate was already well on her way.

The next afternoon, Kate took Jill, Maggie and their mom to see the home for troubled women they were creating at Reid’s family estate. The nausea had taken a much-needed day off, and Kate was enormously grateful to not have to hide her condition from her family while fighting the need to vomit.
 

She walked her mother and sisters through the downstairs, which had once boasted heavy velvet curtains and elaborate works of art that were now in storage. While the graceful bones of the old house could never be downplayed, Reid and Kate had decided to simplify the decorating to make it cozier and more welcoming to women in need. In the dining room, she smiled as she remembered Ashton asking her to sing “Crazy” for them the day she met them. Reid always said he’d fallen in love with her the minute he heard her sing, right here in this room.

Maggie asked no fewer than a thousand questions as they toured the kitchen where the women would be encouraged to share communal meals, the downstairs bedrooms that would be converted to counseling rooms and the suite where Martha had once lived, which would be made available to the program director if he or she chose to live on-site.

“This is very impressive, honey,” Clare said. “I can picture it from how you describe it.”

“Thanks, Mom. We’re really excited to start interviewing for the director. A lot of what happens here will depend on who we get.”

“Where are you with licenses from the state?” Maggie asked, running her hand over the mahogany banister.

“Ashton is handling all that. Once we had the idea of how we could put this place to good use, we didn’t want to wait to get it moving.”

She showed them through the upstairs bedrooms that had been converted to accommodate mothers and their children. Some rooms could hold up to five people, while the smaller rooms were outfitted for only two. “We’ve also got the horses and can give the kids riding lessons.”

“Have you given any thought to offering therapeutic horseback riding?” Maggie asked.

“I’m ashamed to say I don’t know what that is,” Kate said.

“It’s the use of horses and horseback riding to help people with a variety of disabilities. Teaching them to ride horses helps them to overcome a number of challenges and gives them a sense of satisfaction and self-worth. I took a class on it in college.”

“I thought that was only a horseback-riding class,” Jill said.

“It was a
therapeutic
horseback-riding class,” Maggie said, sticking her tongue out at her sister.

“And here I thought you were looking for three easy credits,” Clare said, sharing a smile with her youngest daughter.

“It’s a really intriguing idea, Mags. Reid and Ashton board horses here that mostly belong to their friends, but I bet we could include them in our program. Somehow.”

Kate took a good look around the room that used to be Reid’s bedroom, where they’d spent so much time together the first time around. Back then everything had been difficult and unsettled. Now the path ahead stretched before them filled with promise and joy. She couldn’t wait to get back to him. As she had that thought, the floor swayed beneath her feet, and she reached out to grab hold of the wall.

“Kate?” Her mother rushed over to her. “What is it?”

“Nothing. I just felt dizzy for a second there.”

“Sit down,” Maggie said, directing Kate to a chair.

Clare felt Kate’s head for fever. “You’re pale as a ghost.”

Kate met Jill’s gaze above their mother’s head.

Jill tipped her head as if encouraging Kate to tell the others her news.

“Do you think you’re coming down with something?” Clare asked. “I’d hate for you to be sick for your own wedding.”

“I’m coming down with a baby,” Kate said. “In about seven months.”

Maggie let out a shriek and hugged Jill.

“Why didn’t you say something?” Clare asked, still squatting before Kate.

“I was going to after the wedding. I figured we’d take it one step at a time.”

“Oh, honey, such wonderful news,” Clare said, hugging her. “But you’re really going to make me a grandmother? Aidan will have a field day with this.”

Kate and her sisters laughed at their mother’s dismay.

“I’m kidding,” Clare said. “Congratulations. I’m so thrilled for you. I wasn’t sure you wanted to be a mom.”

“I wasn’t either, until I was back with Reid. Then it was all I wanted—along with him, of course.”

“Are you feeling all right? In general?” Clare asked.

“The nausea has been tough and the dizziness is new, but other than that, I feel great. Oh, and my boobs. They hurt sometimes.”

“Mine hurt with all three of you,” Clare said.

“Ewww,” Maggie said to laughter from the others.

They waited until they were sure Kate was feeling better before they left the house to take her home to nap. Under normal circumstances, Kate would protest that plan. But right now, a nap sounded like heaven.

Chapter 18

Snow began to fall around three o’clock on Christmas Eve. Reid watched the darkening sky with a growing sense of anxiety. His first wife had been killed in a snow-related car accident. He wanted Kate home, and he wanted her home now.
 

He was about to call her when Jack walked into the stables, where Reid had been mucking stalls as an excuse to stay away from the house while Kate, her sisters and mother were out.
 

The kids had been playing football all afternoon, while others took long walks or watched Christmas movies or helped with the baking going on in the kitchen. Everyone seemed happy, or at least it seemed that way to him.
 

He eyed Jack cautiously, never sure what to say to him. “Feel like a ride, Jack?”

“No, thanks. Horses were never my thing. The girls have been crazy about them since they were little. Especially Kate.”

“She’s an amazing rider.”

From his stall, Thunder whinnied, seeming to approve of Reid’s assessment. “That’d be Thunder—her horse. He knows her name and always has something to say when he hears it.”

Jack walked down the row of stalls to make Thunder’s acquaintance.

“That’s Kate’s daddy, boy. Be nice.”

Thunder stood perfectly still as he and Jack sized each other up.
 

Reid produced a couple of sugar cubes from his pocket and handed them to Jack. “Butter him up.”

“Thanks.” Jack held out his hand with the sugar resting on his palm.

Thunder never blinked as he scooped up the sugar with his tongue.

“I think he likes you,” Reid said.

“That’s good.” Jack turned to face him but didn’t say anything.

Reid continued to rake, refusing to be cowed in his own home. “Something on your mind, Jack?”

After another long silence, Jack said, “I’m never,
ever
going to introduce you as my son-in-law.”