by Kaitlyn Rice
“All right.”
Ethan heard a silence as Isabel stepped away from the phone, then voices filled the void. He couldn’t make out words until Josie hollered something about packing Luke’s clean jammies.
“Hello?” Callie said a moment later.
“Hi, it’s me.”
“Ethan! Good heavens!”
“We need to talk,” he said quickly, before she could think of reasons to resist. “I thought we might get together tomorrow to—”
“I can’t.”
Can’t wasn’t a word the old Callie had used often. Ethan wondered what had happened. He sat in a chair at the kitchen table and glanced at the spot where the divorce papers had been. “Why not?” he asked.
Callie let out a forceful sigh. “When we got to Josie’s apartment a while ago, Stan from BioLabs had left a message on her answering machine,” she said. “Patty and Stan had a huge argument, and she walked off the job. Stan’s been at the lab all weekend and can’t find some of the research files. I have to return to straighten a few things out.”
She was returning to Colorado now, after this afternoon?
“You must realize that we need to talk first,” he said. “I can take tomorrow off work and we can—”
“Ethan!”
“Yes?”
“I’m leaving tonight.”
Oh, no. She couldn’t go back and get involved with that infernal job again. She’d get absorbed in her work, and Ethan might have to send divorce papers in the mail.
He might have to live five hundred miles from the woman he loved, and from the son he’d only recently met.
That couldn’t happen. Even if he and Callie couldn’t fix their damaged relationship, he intended to be a hands-on father. They had to find a way to share time with their little boy.
“Callie, that place can survive without you,” he said. “You may be a brilliant scientist, but they’d replace you if you left.”
“That’s just it, Ethan,” she said. “This project is mine. I won the grant. If I don’t retrieve the lost data now, the lab could lose their funding for this piece of research.”
Her argument was old, and it didn’t work for Ethan now any more than it ever had. Her work might be vital, but she couldn’t exist for that research. Even if she didn’t know it, she needed the support of someone other than her co-workers.
He wanted to believe that she needed him.
At least now, Ethan had an extra argument for his side. “Isn’t Luke’s future just as important—more important—than that job, Cal?”
Aren’t I?
“Yes, of course. I’m not planning to stay—not this trip.” She paused, then added softly, “I know we have important things to talk about.”
Ethan wanted to trust her, but he’d learned the truth about Luke’s identity only a week ago. If LeeAnn hadn’t been a more astute observer than Ethan, he might have never known.
Would Callie have told him? He asked himself that question constantly. He wanted to believe her claims, but circumstances made that difficult.
“It’s almost five-thirty, Cal. When are you leaving?”
“I have a seven-fifteen flight out of Wichita. I’m almost packed. After I feed Luke his dinner, I’m leaving for the airport.”
LeeAnn might be right about Callie’s less-than-honorable motives. If he hadn’t telephoned Callie tonight, she might not have told him she was leaving for Denver.
She’d been surprised to hear from him, hadn’t she? Evidently, she’d been planning to catch that flight without telling him she was going.
A sense of hopelessness darkened Ethan’s thoughts. He wanted to take Callie at her word, but how could he allow her to take his son away? How could he take the risk of losing both of them again?
Ethan had an idea. “You’re returning soon?” he asked. “Within days?”
“Probably.”
“Then leave Luke with me. I’ll feed him dinner tonight. You concentrate on packing.”
“What?”
“I’m his dad. Leave him here.”
Callie remained silent for a long while. “Oh, Ethan, I don’t know,” she finally said. “I don’t want to make this decision on impulse.”
“He’s my son, too, Cal.”
She sighed. “Except for a couple of short play dates, you haven’t been responsible for Luke on your own. Do you even know how to feed him? Would you be able to console him if he cried for days on end?”
“He’d do that?” Ethan asked.
“He has before.”
“Then I’d handle it.”
To Ethan’s mind, Callie’s brief consideration of his idea held an aura of faith. He met it with confidence. “I’ve watched you feed him, and I know to keep my eye on him in the tub. I’ll contact you if I have questions,” he promised. “And if I can’t get you, I’ll telephone Isabel.”
Callie didn’t say a word.
“Unpack his things and put them in a separate suitcase or a paper sack,” he said. “Were you planning to take that portable crib?”
“No. Luke has a big crib at home.”
“Toss it in your trunk and bring it here.”
“Ethaa-nn!”
“My house is on your way to the airport,” he said. “Swing by here and I’ll follow you, then you can list instructions while you’re waiting to board. But you’d better get moving.”
“Don’t you have to work?” she asked. “What will you do with him then? And don’t you have to be on call for emergencies?”
He hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Where does he go while you work?” he asked.
“The lab has an in-house day care where I can visit him over my lunch break. They tell me if he even fusses.”
But those day care workers were only employees. No one could look out for his son as conscientiously as he would. Callie would recognize that. “I’ll take time off work. I’ll protect that little boy with my life. You know I will.”
She hesitated, then let out a sigh. “Yes, I do. He’ll be fine with you.”
“Then it’s settled,” Ethan said, satisfied with this mutual decision that was unquestionably another step forward. He looked forward to spending the next few long, fun-filled days with his son.
Chapter Thirteen
By the next afternoon, Ethan had decided that the next few days would certainly be long, but he wasn’t sure he could pull off the fun-filled part. He also wondered about his sanity. On a full-time basis, babies were exhausting.
He’d handled meals and bath times all right. Luke liked to eat and he loved to play in the bathtub, so those tasks hadn’t been impossible to manage.
Sleep times were another story. Last night, Ethan had paced the floor with Luke in his arms, trying to get the very tired, very fussy child to relax. He’d started trying as soon as he and Luke had returned from the airport, and he’d still been trying shortly after ten o’clock, when Callie had telephoned from her Denver townhome to tell him that she’d made it in all right.
He’d finally crashed on the sofa with Luke on his chest, and he’d awakened a few hours later when the kid had drooled on his neck and earlobe.
He couldn’t do that again.
Neither one of them had gotten enough sleep. Their crankiness had made the morning incredibly wearing.
The afternoon was worse. Right now, Ethan was in his second hour of trying to get the kid to nap, and he had ignored several urges to telephone Callie for advice. He didn’t want her to worry. He wanted her to fix the lab problems and rush back to Kansas.
He could handle his son.
He could.
Luke simply needed to adjust to a slight change in routine.
Ethan had tried leaving the baby in the portable crib a while ago, but he’d found it impossible to ignore those mournful cries for “Mum-mum.” He had then lain in his own bed beside Luke, but even that hadn’t worked.
Remembering that Callie had mentioned Luke sleeping in the car, Ethan loaded the boy in his car seat and
started driving.
The kid obviously missed his mother.
So did Ethan, and not just because he hadn’t had more than four hours’ sleep last night.
He missed her.
As soon as she returned from Denver, Ethan wanted to get Isabel to babysit Luke for as long as necessary, and he wanted to sit with Callie and talk this through. Perhaps they should sit in Isabel’s house, where they wouldn’t be tempted to kiss.
He’d start by talking about Denver. He’d mention the importance of her job, then point out that even leaders of countries didn’t hold their positions forever. He’d also ask if she was certain she could live that far from her sisters again. And from him.
Or maybe he wouldn’t ask that question. She hadn’t taken it well, before. If she asked, he would even return to Denver to try again. All Ethan really wanted to know was if Callie saw any hope for them, as a couple. Could they possibly mend their relationship?
The drive worked. Luke fell asleep before Ethan had made it as far as east Wichita. He didn’t want to risk waking the baby, so he continued on to Augusta, passing by Josie’s apartment and finally Isabel’s house.
The inspector’s placard had been removed. Isabel had put new lace curtains on her front window, and they were open. Under different circumstances, Ethan might have stopped by to say hello, but he wanted his son to have a long nap.
He circled back round to Wichita, then continued on the highway in the opposite direction. Tonight, he’d learn to put the kid in his crib to fall asleep on his own. By the time Callie returned, he’d have sleep times conquered.
He would.
Luke didn’t awaken until an hour and a half later, when his too-weary father had pulled into a fast-food drive-through for a monster-size cup of coffee.
The little boy had awakened in a good mood, so Ethan stopped by a toy store on the way home. Maybe he could exhaust the kid and make his daunting evening project a little easier.
Seven hours later, Ethan walked the floor with Luke again and tried to ignore the third ring of his doorbell. He was in no mood for a visitor, and Luke was finally relaxing. He might be going to sleep.
Luke bucked his head back and shoved a fist across his pink-lidded eyes. “No-no-no,” he said crankily, his chin dripping with drool and tears.
Obviously, the baby wasn’t sleeping.
Ethan might as well answer the confounded door. He strode across the space and yanked it open to scowl at Lee-Ann, who had paired her standard hat and boots with a crisp white suit. “Not a good time,” he barked, rounding immediately into the living room again. “Enter at your own risk.”
“Mum-mum-mumm,” Luke said with a pout, butting his wet face against Ethan’s shoulder.
“What happened?” LeeAnn asked, staring at both of them.
“Nothing,” Ethan said, shrugging. “It’s bedtime.”
When Luke’s whimpers grew louder, Ethan started bouncing and pacing until the weary little guy quieted again.
“Where’s his mother?” LeeAnn asked.
“Callie’s gone to Denver for a few days.”
LeeAnn frowned. “Well. That’s surprising, isn’t it? She just left the kid with you? I took her to be more devoted than that.”
“I talked her into leaving him with me,” he said. “Listen, LeeAnn, you should just go. As I told you the other day, I’m in no position to date.”
She glanced at Luke, who was temporarily quiet but not at all asleep, then returned her gaze to him. “Did I suggest otherwise?”
She hadn’t suggested it, but since she was still coming around, he figured she wanted something. He figured she was waiting around for the big breakup.
“Even if Callie and I don’t work out our problems,” he said, “I’m going to concentrate on being a dad for a while.”
“I do have a thought about that,” she said, stepping forward to peer closely at Luke.
“What is it?” he asked.
She smiled. Shrugged. “Maybe he’s not yours.”
Ethan scowled. “Oh, come on. You said yourself that he has my hair and eyes. He laughs the same way I do. He even has my toes.”
She glanced at Luke’s feet. “Could be a coincidence. And Callie could have slept with another man with dark brown hair, light brown eyes and dimples.”
He chuckled. “LeeAnn, what are you doing?”
“About what?” She batted her eyelashes.
“Why are you here? We were never that involved. Why not just find a guy who can devote himself to you?”
“Oh, sure. I will,” she said with a sulky expression that rivaled Luke’s. “I’m just helping you through a rough time. You’re a nice guy, and I’d hate to see you hurt.”
“Is that it?” he asked quietly. “Or is it that this is the first time in a while you haven’t won? You told me once that you were valedictorian and prom queen at your high school, and that every guy you’ve set your sights on has dated you until you broke things off.”
“So?”
“So, maybe you aren’t letting go because for the first time, you aren’t in control.”
She hesitated, as if truly considering his suggestion, but then she snickered and shook her head. “Whatever. Todd’s been taking me out, and he’s really sweet,” she said. “So no problem. I’d still advise you to get a paternity test before you make any major decisions.”
“Dat!” Luke mumbled, wiggling in Ethan’s arms.
Ethan didn’t even look to see what his son wanted. Something about this part of the conversation disturbed him, and he’d pursue it until he knew why. Gently, he put his son on the floor and gazed at LeeAnn.
“My paternity is not in question,” he told her.
“Why not? The day I came to Augusta, I watched Callie’s sisters. They were trying to give her time alone with you. They might all be plotting to win you back.”
“Think so?”
LeeAnn lifted a brow. “A lot of women sleep with look-alikes of their exes,” she said. “I have. So have some of my girlfriends. Callie isn’t as different as you think.”
Ethan thought about that.
No. LeeAnn was wrong. Callie was every bit as different as he thought, and in the best of ways. She wouldn’t have slept with another man, look-alike or not.
He knew that.
Then the ton of bricks hit him.
The problems that had been driving him mad became solvable.
The mistakes, on both sides, forgivable.
“Thank you,” he said, stepping forward to kiss LeeAnn on the cheek before he took her elbow and led her toward the door. “You’ve just done me a favor.”
“What did I do?” LeeAnn asked. When she realized he was guiding her through the door, she changed the question. “What are you doing?”
“You helped me realize something,” he said when he let her go on his front porch. “And I intend to do whatever it takes to convince Callie that we should stay married.”
“Why?”
“I don’t need to tell you why,” he said. “I appreciate the time we’ve spent together, LeeAnn. But I love Callie and always will. Sorry. I wish you well.”
Ethan watched her leave, grateful that her walk was still confident. He couldn’t have hurt her too much.
He and LeeAnn might have enjoyed each other’s company for a time, but they had never been destined for more than a casual dating relationship. Perhaps he’d needed to reembrace the idea of loving someone.
LeeAnn would land on her feet. She’d probably have a hot date with a mandolin player within an hour. And except for those Saturday-night soirees with Callie, Ethan’s days of dating were finished.
He hoped.
God. He hoped.
After closing the door, he crossed the living room to retrieve his little boy from beneath the red-and-yellow plastic fort he’d bought this afternoon. It was probably a mistake, trying to get the kid to sleep with that big, colorful toy within his sight.
Pulling Luke into a hug, Ethan walked down the hal
l and peered into the second bedroom—now Luke’s room.
No. That room also had a few too many bright, plastic things. What had Ethan been thinking?
Deciding the hallway was the safest best, Ethan paced there. He relaxed more, even if Luke didn’t. After a time, the baby let out a huge sigh and drooped in Ethan’s arms. He’d gone to sleep.
Carrying the baby to the crib, Ethan laid him down and left the room. He wished he could talk to Callie now, but he had to wait. A wise man didn’t declare his affections over the phone.
Then Ethan walked around his quiet house, picking up toys and thinking. The next few days would be fun. He enjoyed his son’s company immensely, and they could help each other pass the time until the woman they loved called to say she was returning.
AS CALLIE FELT the airplane make its descent, she toyed with her wedding band. She’d returned it to her finger soon after she’d arrived at the townhome and located it in her luggage. She’d worn it ever since.
A sudden jolt indicated that the wheels of the plane had made contact with the ground, then Callie felt a moment of lift and another bump before the rapid slowing.
She was ready to be home.
Was Kansas home?
Yes. Although Callie’s specific place of residence was still in question. As the plane taxied toward the terminal, she glanced at the ring again. It belonged on her hand. She wouldn’t take it off again until her divorce was final.
If her divorce became final.
She’d managed to straighten out the mess at BioLabs within four days, and she’d been surprised at the actual scope of the problems. Instead of spending her time locating research documents, she’d soothed hurt feelings. Patty and Stan had fallen into a relationship and had a serious quarrel, so Patty had walked off the job, inadvertently taking the files when she’d cleaned out her desk.
Callie found it amusing that she had left her own love life in turmoil to go settle another couple’s romantic upset. Patty and Stan had just needed time to work things out. The files had been restored and so had Patty. She and Stan were now engaged, and the entire lab staff had expressed confidence that they could carry on with the research trials for as long as necessary.