Marrying Kate (12 page)

"
Aunt Kate is right." Jared stood in the doorway, Dani in his arms. His gaze locked on his tearful niece. "I would be honored to go with you. If that’s what you want."

Amelia nodded. She slipped off Kate’s lap and headed for her uncle. Jared squatted down so he was at eye level with her. "Maybe Aunt Kate can take you out and buy you a special dress for the dinner. How would you like that?"

"I’d love that."

Kate smiled and caught Jared’s gaze over Amelia’s head as he drew his niece close for a hug. She wondered if he was as overwhelmed with love and pride for Amelia as she was.

Kate remained in her chair even after Amelia took Dani and went in search of the other two kids. Jared came to join her at the table.

"I hope I didn’t interrupt. When
Amelia disappeared I thought I’d see what had happened. Are you okay?"

Kate smiled at him. "I’m fine. I was scared I was going to mess up
, but I think it worked out okay."

"It worked out better than okay. You did a great job."

Warmth flooded Kate’s cheeks. "I, uh, better get back to the dishes."

"Hey
, before you do, I forgot all about something until I heard Amelia talking about that dinner. We’re invited to a company dinner next Friday. Drake’s trying to lure a new client and everyone not in the field is invited to attend along with their spouses."

Kate hesitated. She never did well in social settings
, but for Jared she’d do it. "Sounds like it will be...fun."

Jared laughed. "Probably not but at least the food will be good. Drake won’t waste his money on high priced cardboard."

"Well, I’m all for eating a free, delicious meal, especially if I don’t have to make it."

*****

Early the next week, Kate started to panic about the party. She had nothing to wear. The only thing she had that came remotely close to being appropriate for the dinner was her wedding dress but that wasn’t really appropriate. And something about wearing it again to a business dinner party just didn’t sit right with her. Finally Kate bit the bullet and approached Jared one night after the kids had gone to bed.

He was in the library and looked up from the computer when she knocked on the open door. "I don’t mean to disturb you."

"You’re not." Jared swung away from the computer and stood. "Did you need to talk to me about something?"

Kate nodded, not sure how to proceed.

"Why don’t we sit over there?" Jared gestured to the chairs in front of the unlit fireplace. "More comfortable than sitting at this desk."

"I hate to ask you this
, but I’m stuck." Kate stared at the darkened fireplace, not wanting to meet Jared’s gaze.

"This sounds serious. What’s wrong?"

"It’s about the party on Friday. I have nothing to wear." Kate peeked at Jared then in time to see a smile flit across his face.

"Isn’t that what all women say?"

"Well, in my case it’s true. I never went to formal occasions in Seattle. The only fancy dress I have is the one from our wedding, and I don’t want to wear that to a business dinner."

"I see your problem. Well, sure, buy yourself a new dress."

Kate shifted uncomfortably in the seat. "It’s not just buying a dress. I, uh, need some money."

"Money?" Jared looked at her in surprise and then dismay. "We never set up anything for money
, did we?"

Kate shook her head. "You give me the money for groceries and stuff for the kids and that’s been enough
, but for this dress...I don’t have enough in my savings to buy anything."

"And you shouldn’t have to worry about that. I meant to reimburse all the money you’ve spent over the past few months for the kids."

"I didn’t mind, Jared. It was the least I could do."

"
I
mind. If you’d been able to get hold of me you wouldn’t have had to spend all your savings. The least I can do is give it back to you."

Kate sat silently for a few minutes. That was not what she wanted. "Jared, I really don’t need money for anything. I have enough for the incidentals and you’re taking care of the bills and groceries and whatever the kids need."

"You shouldn’t have to come to me asking for money every time you need some, Kate. You need money of your own."

"Okay
, but can we just put it into a joint account or something? I’ll take some of it and invest it, but I’d like to contribute to the household."

"You do contribute to the household," Jared informed her. "More than you’ll ever know."

Kate didn’t want to argue with him. "If you prefer to just give me the money, that’s fine. I’ll take care of investing it and using it for my needs."

Jared gazed at her for a moment and then nodded. "I think we need to discuss this a little bit more
, but for now I’ll just give you some money for the dress and whatever else you need." Jared stretched out his leg and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. He handed her some cash and then a credit card. "Spend as much as you need. If you need anything else, you buy it too."

"I’ll pay you back
,” Kate promised.

“
No, you won’t, but we’ll discuss it later.” Jared stood and slipped his wallet back into his pocket. “Right now I’m ready for bed, how about you?”

*****

Jared paced the carpet of the library. He and Kate were due to leave in about fifteen minutes for the dinner party, but it was something else that was occupying his thoughts.

It had been four weeks now since they had gotten married. Four weeks since he’d determined that someone was out to get him. Only he wasn’t so sure now. There’d been no sign of any further attempt on his life. Garth
hadn’t been able to determine who might have been on the other end of the phone when Kate called, but other than that, he reported nothing unusual at the agency.

Because the possibility was high that whoever was targeting him lived in one of the countries where he worked, they might not realize that he was actually alive. But if they had someone inside the agency, there was a chance that they might find out he was. The uncertainty was killing him. This big black cloud hanging over his family seemed like it would never go away. They couldn’t live the rest of their lives that way. But without knowing the exact direction the threat came from, he couldn
’t even set a trap for them.

They’d had round the clock surveillance on the house and a security person
with them whenever they left home. Jared just didn’t know how long to keep up the security. On one hand, he wanted the killer to know that he was still alive because as long as Jared didn’t know who was behind the attempt on his life, he was at risk. By revealing he was still alive he could draw the killer out in the open. It was something he would have done without thought at one time, but now he had a family to think about. To put them at further risk was something Jared couldn’t even contemplate.

He’d give it another week, then he’d have to talk more Drake to see if they could come up with a long-term plan. Jared didn’t think he could move on and fully enjoy his life as long as this threat hung over it.

"Jared?" Kate’s voice interrupted his thoughts. He swung towards the door and froze.

His eyes widened as he took in her appearance. He’d never seen her this dressed up, even for their wedding. "You look very beautiful,
Kate."

The color of her cheeks deepened as she came into the room. "Thank you. You look very handsome yourself."

Kate had been closeted in the guest room when he’d come home earlier and had asked that he wait downstairs for her once he was ready. The wait had been worth it. She was absolutely stunning.

The deep purple of her dress complimented her soft gray eyes. The dress skimmed the curves she was beginning to regain now that she was eating more. Its straight skirt ended just inches above trim ankles and feet that were shod in black shoes with criss-cross straps. The top of the dress had thin straps over her shoulders and a gauzy scarf encircled her neck and fell down her back. Her hair was a riot of curls that tumbled from a silver clasp over her bare shoulders. She didn’t look at all like the
Kate he knew.

"Shall we go?" Jared offered her his arm as he smiled at her. "You’re going to wow them all."

Kate took his arm and returned his smile, her gray eyes dancing with excitement. Jared felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach. He was at a loss to explain what he felt. He hadn’t anticipated getting this emotionally involved with her. He’d been so sure that she was not a woman he could ever come to love, but now Jared wasn’t so sure.

The thought almost sent Jared into a panic. Pushing it aside, he tried to focus on the evening ahead. Together they went to say good-bye to Mrs. Harris and the kids before heading out.

Several people had already arrived
at the private dining room where the dinner party was being held. Jared felt Kate’s grip on his arm tighten as a man and woman approached them. He glanced at her and saw nervousness on her face. He hadn’t really thought she’d be nervous since she always seemed so cool and collected.

"Drake, I’d like you to meet my wife,
Kate." Jared slipped his arm around Kate’s waist as Drake held out his hand.

Kate took it. "It’s a pleasure to meet you."

"You too. Jared’s told us a lot about you and the kids," Drake said with a smile. "All of it good, of course."

"Of course." Kate returned Drake’s smile.

"This is my wife, Maylene." Drake turned to the petite woman at his side.

"I’m so glad to finally meet you
," Maylene said as Kate shook her hand. "We were all most curious to see what kind of woman had captured Jared’s heart."

If Jared hadn’t been watching Kate closely he would have totally missed the wince that flashed across her face. Jared realized he’d never told anyone the real circumstances around his marriage. Not that he’d hidden it or anything, he just hadn’t discussed it.

A few more people joined their group and soon they were part of a crowd. Jared was careful to keep Kate close at hand, always touching her in some way
, hoping to help her get over her nervousness. As he laid a hand on the small of her back to guide her to the table, Jared realized that they didn’t do a whole lot of touching outside of the bedroom. After this evening, he decided he was going to remedy that. He enjoyed being near her, smelling her perfume and feeling her warmth against his side.

The evening progressed slowly
, and Jared waited for Kate to give the signal that she was ready to go. She had relaxed over the dinner and chatted knowledgeably with the people seated near her. Jared often forgot that his wife possessed a genius IQ because she never talked down to anyone, yet it was obvious she knew a lot about a wide variety of subjects.

They weren’t the first to leave but they didn’t linger long once others started to go. They said their good-byes to Drake and Maylene and left.

"Did you enjoy the evening?" Jared asked once they were in the car on the way home.

Kate had leaned her head back against the seat. "It wasn’t bad at all. I was kind of nervous, but it turned out fine. I like Drake and Maylene."

"They’re super people. We’ll have to have them out to the house some time. Maybe have a barbecue or something. They have two kids around Amelia and Bry’s ages. Very down-to-earth people
despite their wealth."

"Kind of like Jen and Steve," Kate commented.

"Yes," Jared agreed. He glanced back in his mirror. He’d seen the undercover security car pull into the lane behind them when they’d left the restaurant. It was still there and stayed close as they made their way through late Friday night traffic. It dropped back a bit once they were on the rural roads heading for home.

Another week, Jared reminded himself and then he had to make some decisions.

The house was quiet when they arrived. Jared walked Mrs. Harris to the door while Kate went to check on the kids. After Mrs. Harris’ car disappeared down the driveway, Jared shut off the lights and locked up.

The light was on in the guest room at the end of the hall when he went upstairs. He turned towards it instead of going into the master suite. Kate stood next to
the closet hanging up her dress. She was wearing a thick bathrobe and her hair, free now from its clasp, hung in long loose curls down her back.

Jared leaned against the door jamb, hands in his pockets and watched her for a few seconds. "When are you planning to move your stuff into the master suite?"

Kate jumped at the sound of his voice and spun around. "I’m going to have to get you a bell! You’re going to send me to an early grave sneaking up on me like that."

"Sorry, still haven’t broken that habit yet." Jared pushed away from the
door and went further into the room. "So, you didn’t answer my question."

Kate turned her attention back to the dress she was hanging on a hanger. "I don’t know. I guess I haven’t thought about it."

"What’s holding you back, Katie? There’s a huge walk-in closet that’s sitting there empty, just waiting for your stuff."