Someday Soon (18 page)

“Grandma,” the boy cried with delight.

“How’s the big brother doing?” Jake Collins asked, ruffling Christopher’s hair.

“I hope you don’t mind us dropping by unexpectedly like this,” Janet said, walking into the room. She hesitated, looking uncertain when she saw Linette.

“Hello, Janet,” Linette greeted them, wanting to put her mother-in-law at ease.

“Hello, Linette.” Michael’s mother’s voice stiffened, and she glanced toward her husband as if she weren’t sure what she should do next.

“It’s good to see you again,” Jake said, and walked over to study his newest grandchild. “Isn’t she the most beautiful baby you’ve ever seen?”

“Daddy, I think you might be considered prejudiced!” Nancy chided him.

“She’s the most beautiful little girl in the world to me,” her father protested. “The spitting image of you at that age.”

Janet sat down across the room from Linette. “How are you feeling, Nancy?”

“Absolutely wonderful.”

“She had the baby naturally, you know.” This comment was directed with pride at Linette.

“No, I didn’t. Congratulations, Nancy.”

“I couldn’t have done it without Rob. He was a great coach, and the difference between Christopher’s birth and Michelle’s is like night and day. I feel great.”

“Would you like to hold Michelle?” Linette asked Janet.

Janet smiled and nodded.

Careful, so as not to disturb the baby, Linette stood and gently placed the tiny bundle in Michael’s mother’s arms. It seemed the austere features softened when she received her granddaughter.

“If this keeps up much longer, Michelle will expect to be held all the time,” Nancy protested, but without conviction.

“I’ll hold her whenever you need,” Janet volunteered, and cooed at the infant. “That’s my job. What good is it to be a grandmother if I can’t spoil my grandchildren?”

Christopher found it imperative to show his grandfather something in his room, and soon afterward Nancy went to place the freshly washed diapers in the dryer. Unexpectedly, Linette was left alone with Janet.

The silence was heavy between them. Linette worked to formulate the words to show her regret over their last meeting, but before she could begin, Janet spoke.

“I’m pleased we have this opportunity alone,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve done a good deal of thinking in the months since January. I don’t agree with everything you said, but I concede that you might have a point.” She lowered her head slightly. “Losing Michael, well…you of all people can appreciate how difficult it was. Although it’s been nearly three years now…” She hesitated and bit into her lower lip. “I loved my son….”

“I loved him, too,” Linette said gently. She walked across the room and sat on the sofa next to Janet. She’d forgotten how small her mother-in-law was and looped her arm around her fragile shoulders.

“You don’t know how many times I’ve thought about
you in the past several months,” Janet said. “Jake and I’ve missed you terribly. When Michael died we felt we still had you, and then…There’s no need to rehash our disagreement, but since New Year’s Day, Jake and I’ve had a number of talks, and he’s helped me realize how wrong I’ve been. I had no right to expect you to dedicate your life to Michael’s memory.”

“I regret our disagreement, too,” Linette said, and gently squeezed her mother-in-law’s shoulders.

“I didn’t mean what I said about doubting your love for Michael. You were the best thing that ever happened to my son. He told me that himself just before he died. You seemed so strong, and it was far easier to lean on your strength, yours and Jake’s, than accept the fact my son was forever gone from me.”

Linette hadn’t felt strong, especially in the first few weeks and months following Michael’s passing. She didn’t now.

“I know that you’re dating other men these days, and I’ve accepted that you’ll probably remarry. Both Jake and I want you to be happy, Linette. You deserve that much.”

“Thank you.” Her words teetered with emotion.

“I know I don’t have any right to ask this of you, but when you do remarry, would you allow Jake and me to be grandparents to your children?”

“Oh, Janet.” Tears filled Linette’s eyes, and she found it impossible to speak for the lump in her throat.

“I promise you that I won’t pretend the children are yours and Michael’s family. It’s just that Jake and I have come to think of you as our daughter. We love you, Linette, and are truly sorry for the way we behaved.”

“I think my children would be fortunate to have you and Jake as their grandparents.” A husband and family seemed impossible just then, and Janet’s words produced a soft ache. She longed for a child. Holding Michelle was both a joy and a trial.

“For weeks I’ve been promising Jake I’d phone you. My heart nearly stopped when I saw you with Nancy, but I knew it was time to make amends. Long past time.”

“I’m pleased we talked.” She drew in a deep breath at the emotion that hovered so close to the surface. “Michael was blessed to have you and Jake for parents, and I feel the same way to have you as my in-laws.”

“I still miss him.”

“I know,” Linette whispered. “I do, too, but it won’t hurt as much with time. I’ll never stop loving Michael, but I don’t desperately cling to my memories of him. They’re a part of me now. Some of the happiest days of my life were spent with him. I’m content now. My frustration and anger are gone, and the pain isn’t as sharp. For the first time in more years than I can remember, I’m looking forward to the future.”

A tear ran down the side of Janet’s face. “I am, too.”

As best they could, with Nancy’s infant daughter between them, the two women hugged. That was how Nancy found them—hugging, laughing, and weeping.

“Hey, you two. If you’re going to have a party, the least you could do is invite me.”

Francine saw the dust rising
from the driveway long before the car came into view. Standing on the back porch, she wrapped her coat about her and pressed her hand against the small of her back. The other hand rested on her stomach, which protruded between the coat’s opening. With three months left before her baby was due, she couldn’t imagine getting any bigger. Already it was difficult to climb in and out of a chair and do the things she was accustomed to.

“We’ve got company,” she called out to Tim, who was working with Bubba, the most cantankerous of the llamas they owned.

“I’m not expecting anyone,” Tim answered. She noted that he didn’t take his eyes off Bubba, and with good reason. He’d learned his lesson the first time.

“I’m not expecting anyone, either.”

“Do you recognize the car?”

“No,” she called back. The vehicle slowed as it rounded the last curve and pulled into the yard.

Tim stepped out of the corral, removed his hat, and wiped his brow with the back of his forearm.

“It’s Cain McClellan,” Francine announced excitedly, and hurried down the steps—“hurried” being the operative word. Francine didn’t move all that speedily these days.

Tim moved to the car, and after Cain climbed out, the two men shook hands, then hugged briefly, slapping each other several times across the back.

“This is a pleasant surprise,” Tim said.

“I just happened to be in the neighborhood,” Cain said.

Francine watched, smiling, as the two men laughed at the blatant lie. Vashon Island was its own neighborhood. It had taken some getting used to, living her life according to a ferry schedule. Tim worried about her delivering the baby, but she was confident they’d have plenty of time to get to a hospital.

Cain’s gaze scanned Francine and lingered at her abdomen. “I see you two have been busy.”

Tim chuckled. “As best we can figure, I got her pregnant on our wedding night.” His eyes connected with Francine’s. “It’s something of a family tradition.”

“How are you, Cain?” Francine asked. She knew Tim and his friend frequently exchanged letters and talked occasionally on the phone, but this was the first she’d heard of Cain traveling.

“Much better, thanks.”

“Come inside. There’s no need to talk out here in the cold.” Francine led the way into the family-size kitchen.
She assembled a pot of coffee while the two men pulled out chairs and sat themselves down at the round oak table.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Tim said, studying his friend. “Damn, but it’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to be here,” Cain returned.

“How’s everyone?”

Francine watched her husband, looking for any tell-tale signs that he missed his former life. They rarely discussed Deliverance Company. When she questioned him about the missions, he was tight-lipped. It was as if that part of his life were over and he had to struggle to remember what it was he’d done before they’d been married.

Although she was crazy in love with Tim, Francine couldn’t help wondering about the adjustment in both their lives. It hadn’t been easy for either one of them. They were both independent people with strong personalities. In addition, Francine missed her family dreadfully. The little things about island living continued to irritate her, but she was learning.

Tim seemed to have made the transition effortlessly, but there were times when she wondered. As she did now. Her fear was that Cain had returned to talk Tim into going back for one last mission. The very thought caused her blood to run cold.

“Murphy, Keller, and Jack all send their best. They’re doing great.”

“And you?” Tim asked.

“I’m getting stronger every day.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Francine poured coffee into three mugs and carried
two over to the table. Tim snaked his arm around her waist and held her against his side. “We’ve been married six months now, and I swear I still get horny every time I look at her.”

“Tim!” Francine dared not look at Cain. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

Tim laughed and, after bouncing a kiss off her tummy, released her. Francine brought her coffee to the table and joined the two men. She studied Cain and realized how thin and pale he was. From what she understood, he was lucky to be alive.

“I’m thinking of selling Deliverance Company,” Cain announced out of the blue.

Francine tensed, thinking Cain was giving Tim first crack at buying the business. Tim must have assumed the same thing, because his eyes found hers. It wasn’t necessary to voice her objection. One look assured her that her fears were unsubstantiated.

Tim reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “If you’re offering it to me—”

“I’m not.” Cain cut in. “At this point, Murphy’s the one most interested, but I haven’t completely made up my mind. I wanted to talk to the two of you first.”

Tim and Francine looked at each other. “Us?” Tim asked, clearly puzzled.

“I wanted to see for myself if you were as happy as Mallory implies in his letters. I’ll admit that when I learned you two were marrying, I didn’t give the union much of a chance. I know Mallory too well. I wasn’t sure he was the type to settle down and raise llamas.”

“The hell I’m not,” Tim protested.

“You’ve proved me wrong,” Cain said, and he looked
pleased to admit the fault. “You’ve beaten the odds all to hell. It gives me hope.”

“What would you do without Deliverance Company?” Tim asked.

“I’m not sure yet,” Cain said after a short hesitation. “I’d probably move to Montana. I’ve got a spread there, but what I know about cattle ranching would fit inside the eye of a needle.”

“You learn fast,” Tim said, “trust me. Cattle can’t be all that different from llamas. Besides, don’t you have the world’s best foreman? I remember you bragging about him a couple of years back.”

“John Stamp and his family are the salt of the earth.”

“Are you going to wait to see if you get some nibbles on Deliverance Company before you make up your mind?” Francine asked.

“No,” Cain said, surprising them both. “Everything depends on a certain woman who owns a yarn shop. If she hasn’t already decided she never wants to see me again.”

“Linette?” Francine guessed.

Cain nodded. “I can’t give her one good reason to marry me.”

“She won’t need any reasons,” Francine said with unshakable confidence. “I didn’t when I married Tim. Loving him was enough, and Linette loves you.”

Cain certainly hoped what Francine said was true, and that Linette still loved him. It had been over six months since he’d last seen her. A whole lot could have changed in that time.

Cain arrived in San Francisco and checked into a hotel room. Slipping the room key into his pocket, he sat on the side of the mattress and closed his eyes. He’d thought about this day, lived for this day, for months.

He checked his watch, debating if he should phone her first. After a moment he decided it would be harder for her to close the door in his face than to hang up on him.

He caught a cab to her apartment building and took the stairs. A year earlier he’d raced up the three flights, taking two and three steps at a time. This year he walked up one step at a time and was shaky and weak before he reached the third floor. If Linette did agree to marry him, she should know she wasn’t getting any bargain.

Straightening his shoulders, he pushed the doorbell and waited. An eternity passed before he heard the lock turn. The door opened, and all at once she was there. They stared at each other, breathless and stunned.

Cain didn’t think she could be any more beautiful than the way he remembered her. But she was. She wore a winter rose silk dress, and her hair was pulled back from her face and held in place with pearl-edged combs.

She whispered, “Cain.”

“Hello, Linette.”

As if unaware of what she was doing, she raised her hands to his face and gently flattened them against his cheeks. Her touch was light and uncertain.

He briefly closed his eyes and smiled. “I’m real,” he assured her.

All at once she was crying. Of all the responses Cain had anticipated, he hadn’t thought she’d break down and
weep. He held her against him. Once they were inside her apartment, he closed the door with his foot.

Cain felt as if he’d die if he didn’t kiss her soon. He brought her close to him, and it was like stumbling through the gate of paradise. His heart swelled with a love so strong, so potent, he feared it couldn’t withstand the pressure.

Sobbing, her tears moistening his face, Linette kissed him again and again and again as if she couldn’t get enough of him.

It was that which broke him. Cain’s arms tightened around her waist, and he lifted her from the floor. All the weeks of lying in the hospital, of dreaming of this moment, praying she still loved him, that he still had a chance with her. He’d been to hell and back, and he’d gladly retrace his steps if it meant he hadn’t lost her.

“I love you,” he chanted between long, deep, desperate kisses. “Marry me, Linette.” He hadn’t meant to propose like this, first thing. He’d thought long and hard about how he planned to ask her.

She lifted her face from his and stared down on him as if afraid she hadn’t heard him correctly.

“You heard me right,” he said. “I’m asking you to be my wife.”

“What about—”

“I’m selling it to Murphy.”

“You’re sure?”

He smiled and nodded. “Positive.”

The doorbell chimed, and Linette sighed and braced her forehead against his shoulder.

“Who’s that?” Cain asked.

It took her a long moment to answer. “A…friend.”

“Male or female?”

Again Linette hesitated. “Male.”

Cain didn’t have a single reason to be jealous. Linette’s eager kisses convinced him she loved him. Nevertheless the green monster ate at Cain’s confidence like a hungry rabbit devouring fresh garden lettuce.

The doorbell chimed again, and Cain stopped her from answering. “Is it that attorney you were seeing earlier in the year?”

“No. His name’s Phil.” She bit into her lower lip and moved toward the door. As if reading his thoughts, she offered Cain a weak smile. “He’s just a friend.”

A tall, attractive man stepped into the apartment, looking bright and cheerful. His gaze immediately connected with Cain’s and narrowed. The laughter drained from his eyes.

“Hello,” Cain said, and held out his hand. “It seems we have a bit of a problem.”

“Phil Duncan, meet Cain McClellan,” Linette murmured.

As Cain moved forward to exchange handshakes with Linette’s date, he noticed how flustered she looked. It would have been better if he’d phoned first, he realized now, instead of placing her in this awkward position.

“Linette’s mentioned you before,” Phil said thoughtfully, and following the brief introduction, he sat on the sofa. It seemed to Cain that the other man went to lengths to make himself comfortable, or at least give the appearance of being so. “How long are you in town for this time?”

The censure was too thick to ignore. “As long as Linette will have me. I’ve asked her to be my wife.”

His words were met with a strained silence. Then, “She’d be crazy to accept.” Phil looked to Linette for a response. “You haven’t, have you?”

“Not yet,” Cain answered on her behalf, and sat across from the other man. He was on the edge of the cushion, and their eyes were level. It was a matter of male pride, but Cain didn’t want her answering to anyone but him.

“Linette?” Phil looked directly at her, waiting. She was the only one left standing, and frankly Cain wished she’d sit down.

“I…I…” She hesitated. “I have a few questions I need Cain to answer first.”

“Great, ask away,” Phil instructed, showing enthusiasm. He leaned forward and pressed his elbows to his knees. “While we’re at it, let me throw my hat in the ring.”

“Throw your hat in the ring?” Linette echoed, frowning.

“Right. We’ve been dating how long now? Three, four months?”

Linette opened and closed her mouth before casting Cain an apologetic look.

“Four. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s closer to five,” Phil answered for her.

Cain hadn’t expected her to keep a silent vigil awaiting his return, but it pricked at his pride that she had gotten involved with another man so soon after her return from Grenada.

“We were friends a long time before we ever started dating, isn’t that right?”

“Yes,” Linette admitted reluctantly.

“I’m not willing to do the gentlemanly thing and step
aside because you’re infatuated with your soldier friend here. He’s moved in and out of your life like a bad storm for the last year.”

“I’m here to stay,” Cain said forcefully. It was apparent that buddy boy wasn’t going to surrender without a fight. What the man apparently didn’t realize was that when it came to war, Cain was the expert. He’d make mincemeat of Phil Duncan in seconds.

But at what price? Cain asked himself. He studied the other man and found him to be clean-cut, successful from the looks of him, a decent sort. As much as it irked him, Cain experienced a grudging respect for Linette’s
friend
.

“I’d like to marry Linette as well,” Phil announced. Silence fell like a butcher’s cleaver into the middle of the room.

“Phil.” Looking shocked, Linette pressed the tips of her fingers to her lips.

“Exactly how long have you two known each other?”

Cain directed the question to Linette, but it was Phil who answered. “Long enough. I was a friend of Michael’s.”

“I see,” Cain murmured.

“Phil and Laura are…were good friends of ours,” Linette explained.

“Our divorce was final this summer,” Phil went on to explain in that nonchalant way of his. He spoke of the end of his marriage as he would report the stock market averages, revealing little emotion.

It certainly hadn’t taken good of’ Phil long to seek out greener pastures, Cain noted.

“It’s apparent I can give Linette what’s important in
life,” the other man went on to say. “Love, security, and a solid future.” Leaning back, balancing his ankle on his knee, Duncan appeared cocky and sure of himself. “What is it you intend to offer her?”