Horizons

by Catherine Hart

  Now, within seconds of disembarking, Kelly finally caught sight of her own relatives. “Wow! They brought the whole clan!” she exclaimed. “There’s Mom and Dad, and Cole and his wife, and their children.” She pointed them out to Zach. Then, on a choked curse, she gasped, “Oh, rats! Oh, dang! Of all the times and places, why did he have to turn up here?”

  “Who?”

  “Brad, damn it all!”

  “Where?”

  “Right down there. The self-important idiot in the blue three-piece suit and the Gucci loafers. I can see his diamond tie tack winking at me from here. I’m surprised he left his briefcase at home. Correction, he probably brought it, and left it at the hotel.”

  Zach studied him with a critical eye. “So that’s Brad Kennedy. After all you’ve told me about him, I guess I didn’t expect him to be such a handsome cuss.”

  “Pretty is as pretty does,” Kelly muttered. “And his name is not Kennedy. It’s Bradley Charles Sanders—Esquire, of course. I reverted to my maiden name even before I filed for divorce.”

  Blair interrupted by tugging at Kelly’s arm. “Do I look all right? Is my make-up okay? I wish I’d thought to ask you to do my hair for me. Oh, nuts! I’m so nervous!”

  “You look wonderful,” Kelly assured her, patting a stray strand into place. “Tan. Fit—as fit as a woman five months pregnant can be, that is. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you just came back from a trip to some expensive spa.”

  “You look lovely,” Zach confirmed. “That hairstyle suits you, and the sun has added lighter streaks to it. Very becoming.”

  “Hey, you guys!” Gavin called for their attention. “We can go now.”

  Kelly took a deep breath, held it, and exhaled heavily. “Okay, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I just wish I didn’t have to meet the press wearing these stained, wrinkled clothes.”

  “Is it the press or Brad you want to impress?” Zach asked with a frown.

  “Don’t be an ass. I wouldn’t walk across the street to impress that jerk, and that was before I fell head over heels in love with you.”

  Zach grabbed both her arms and turned her toward him. “Prove it. Kiss me, Kelly. Right here, right now, in front of God, Brad, and everybody.”

  “I wouldn’t insult God by pronouncing his name and Brad’s in the same breath, if I were you,” she warned. Then, “What about your family, Zach? Your daughter? They’re watching us.”

  “I don’t care. They’re going to find out about us sooner or later, anyway. I guess we might just as well give them a preview of what’s to come. Besides, it could be a while , before I get to kiss you again. I need one to tide me over.”

  “One for the road?” she teased. She stood on tip-toe, arching her body and lips toward his. “Me, too. Make it good, Zach. Nice and sweet and hot. Make me burn for you.”

  His mouth slanted over hers, his lips nudging hers open to make way for his invading tongue. His arms closed around her, holding her so close their heartbeats seemed to merge. Her arms locked around his neck, anchoring his mouth to hers. Her fingers speared through the hair at his nape—clutching, caressing. Throughout the prolonged embrace, they were oblivious to all else around them—Gavin and Blair leaving them behind, camera bulbs flashing, cheers and whistles from the sailors, the mixed reactions from those in the crowd below.

  When, at last, they drew apart, Zach turned his back and surreptitiously adjusted his pants. “Darn things are going to cut off my circulation. I should have known that, even in public, you’d turn me on with more voltage than a power plant.”

  She gave a self-conscious laugh, her face flushed. “Come to my room tonight, if you can get away, and I’ll take care of that problem for you.”

  “What am I supposed to do in the meantime? It’s a rather obvious condition, you know.”

  She laughed harder. “Hunch over and limp. Maybe you can make them believe it’s an injury from the plane crash.” She bent down and retrieved the huge turtle shell and slapped in against his groin, “Better yet, hold this in front of you. If they ask, tell them it’s the latest in Polynesian loin cloths!”

  They walked down together, but the minute they reached the pier, their individual families claimed their immediate attention. Zach’s daughter, Becky, flew into his arms—a sixty-pound human missile with braces on her teeth. Clinging like a barnacle, she sobbed, “Oh, Daddy! Daddy! I thought you’d left me forever, just like Mommy did! Don’t ever go away again!”

  He held her tightly, reveling in the feel of her, the sound of her voice. Tears stung his own eyes. “Oh, pumpkin! I’m sorry, so very sorry. I thought about you every minute. It broke my heart not to be able to let you know I was okay.” Finally, when she calmed a bit, he set her down gently, though he kept hold of her hand. “Let me say hello to Gramma and Grandpa, sweetie.”

  He enveloped his mother in a one-armed hug and kissed her tear-stained cheek. “Mom.” His voice cracked on the word.

  Sarah’s palm came up to cradle his jaw. “It’s a miracle, our very own miracle. We thought we’d lost you. It nearly killed your Dad.”

  “Now, Sarah, don’t load the poor boy with guilt. I’m here, aren’t I?” Ike admonished gruffly. “Dave. Pete.” He gestured impatiently to his two sons-in-law. “Help me up out of this contraption. I want up on my own two feet when I greet my son.”

  They helped him rise, and Zach was there before the older man could take more than a single step away from the wheelchair. “Dad.” They embraced, thumping one another on the back.

  “It’s good to have you back,” Ike said, his voice quavering with emotion. “You’ll never know how good. It’s the answer to our most fervent prayer.”

  “I know, Dad. Mine, too.” Zach urged his father back into the chair. “But now we’ve got to get you taken care of. I heard about the tests.”

  Ike waved that comment away. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  Zach’s sister, Leah, stepped forward to give him quick squeeze. “I told them you were okay, that they were grieving for no reason. But would they listen to me? No.” Next came Beth, his second sister. “I’ll admit it. Leah’s right. And I couldn’t be happier. Now, tell me, brother dear, who’s the chickie who was trying to suck the fillings out of your teeth?”

  Zach laughed. “That’s Kelly, the woman I intend to marry as soon as her divorce is final.”

  A stunned silence ensued, broken only when Sarah frowned and murmured, “Kelly? That sounds like an Irish name to me.”

  “It is, and before you ask, no, she’s not Jewish. And it doesn’t matter to me. I love her. So will you, when you get to know her.”

  Kelly was dealing with the same issue, a few feet away. The first person to reach her was Brad, who grabbed her arm in a tight grip and hissed, “You’ve made a spectacle of yourself, as usual. Who is that guy, and why were you allowing him to kiss you like that?”

  Kelly stared pointedly at his hand, but Brad didn’t take the hint and release her. “His name is Zach Goldstein. He’s my fiancé.”

  Brad’s plastic smile, the one he presented to the public and the media, slipped briefly. “It’s not appropriate to have a husband and a fiancé at the same time, darlin’.”

  She sent him a saccharine smile of her own. “Maybe not, but since our divorce will be final soon, it hardly matters, does it?”

  “That’s what you think. Once you were assumed dead, the divorce was dropped, honey,” he informed her in that smooth Texas drawl she’d once found so charming. “They don’t schedule court time for a corpse.”

  “Then I’ll get it reinstated,” she declared, her eyes shooting green flames. “Retroactively. Now, let go of my arm, or I’ll knee you in the groin, and you can watch it replayed on the evening news, coast to coast.”

  He released her, and Kelly swiftly retreated the short distance into her mother’s waiting arms. “Mom! Oh, I missed you so much!”

  “My sweet Kelly! We were so worried! So stricken! I can’t believe I’m holding you agai
n!” Eileen Kennedy’s joyous tears dampened both of them.

  Ryan Kennedy approached, to envelop them both in a warm, hard embrace. “Kelly, lass, you’re a glorious sight for these poor sore eyes! Here we were, grieving ourselves sick, and you were off growing more beautiful than ever!”

  “Yeah, Dad, it was a real picnic,” Kelly muttered. “But we can discuss all that later. The main thing is, I’m back now, and you can cancel plans for my wake.”

  “Too late,” her brother Collin, more familiarly known as Cole, piped up. He wedged his way to her side for a quick kiss. “It’s already been held, and you should have seen the grand turnout. Dad even sang ‘Danny Boy,’ though he revised it to ‘Kelly Girl.’ He had us all cryin’ in our beer.”

  “Most likely because he accosted your ears with his off-key singing,” Kelly joked. In truth her father had a wonderful tenor, and they all loved to hear him perform. “Still, I’m sorry I missed it. I think.”

  “It was lovely, and very touching,” Cole’s wife, Kathy assured her. “Now, we’re dying to hear about that handsome devil who was kissing you on deck. From a distance, he resembles Mel Gibson.”

  “Really? I’ll have to tell him that. He’ll get a kick out of it.”

  “So, who is he?” Eileen prompted.

  “Zach Goldstein. He’s an architectural engineer and your future son-in-law—as soon as I can unload the dud you’ve got, that is.”

  Kathy and Cole’s eight-year-old twins finally managed to pop through the circle of adults. “Aunt Kelly!” they shouted in tandem, throwing themselves forward and grabbing hold of her from each side. “We missed you! Did you bring us something?”

  Kelly laughed, and clutched at her brother’s arm for support. “Just look at you two! Shane, you’ve sprouted up at least two inches since I’ve been gone. Shannon! You’re wearing your hair like mine now. Are we twins now, too?”

  “Did you bring us something?” they asked again.

  Kelly stooped down to their level. “Well, the present I bought for you in Australia got burned up in the crash, but I brought you something else you might like.”

  “What? What?” they chorused eagerly.

  Kelly patted her still-flat stomach. “I’ve got a baby in here. In a few months, you’re going to have a brand new cousin.”

  Shane frowned, evidently preferring a toy of some type. Shannon was fascinated. “Really?” she cooed. “Will I get to play with it?”

  Kelly nodded. “When it’s big enough.” She looked up to see the adults gaping at her in stunned silence. She wondered if Brad, hanging back on the fringes of the family gathering, had heard her news, and what his reaction might be to this revelation.

  But before anyone could say anything more, a commotion a few yards away claimed everyone’s attention. A child was screaming, as if in dire pain or stark fear. Between shrieks, Gavin was shouting at someone.

  Kelly came upright, her head swiveling as she tried to peer over heads in the direction of the disturbance. “Sydney!” she exclaimed, already pushing her way through the milling crowd. “Gavin!”

  “Kelly!” he called back. “Over here!”

  Kelly jostled the last man out of her way, just as Zach appeared at her elbow. Together, they rushed forward to find a strange woman trying to wrest Sydney from Gavin’s arms. The terrified toddler was having none of it.

  “What’s going on here?” Zach demanded loudly. He rounded on the woman. “Who are you?”

  Kelly, less diplomatically inclined, grabbed the woman’s wrist and commanded sharply, “Let loose of her! What do you think you’re doing?”

  The woman backed off a step, no longer tugging at Sydney, but did not retreat. “I’m Olivia Newhart, from Social Services. I’m here to take charge of the child.”

  Kelly met her, nose to nose, her eyes ablaze. “Over my dead body! Sydney stays with us!”

  By now, the throng—relatives, media, and airline representatives alike—was amassing around them, curious to know what was causing such an uproar. Gavin had handed Sydney over to Zach, and the little girl was whimpering, her face hidden in the curve of his neck.

  “I’m sorry, but those are my orders,” Ms. Newhart insisted. “I must take the child. She’ll be placed in a foster home until her relatives can be located.”

  “You lay one hand on her, and I’ll break it, bone by bone,” Kelly warned darkly. From the corner of her eye, she caught the flash of the bright light of a nearby video camera and bit back an exasperated groan. Here she was, caught threatening bodily harm to a civil servant! On tape, no less! Then a thought came to her. Why let this opportunity pass, when she could use it to her own advantage, and Syd’s? Perhaps a little public sympathy was in order, to help turn the tables.

  “This child has been through hell and back again,” she claimed loudly. In her peripheral vision, she saw the man with the camera edge forward, and was pleased to note the camera sported the logo of a TV station. “Sydney’s parents were killed in the plane crash, and for the past two months she has considered us her family. Hasn’t the poor tyke been traumatized enough? Now you want to take her away from the people she trusts most, and place her with strangers? Good Lord, woman! Where is your heart? Doesn’t anyone care about what’s best for her? Any one of us,” Kelly gestured toward Gavin, Zach, and Blair, who now stood close, “are perfectly capable of caring for her.”

  “But I have papers,” the social worker argued adamantly. “There are certain procedures that must be followed.”

  “Screw your papers and your procedures,” Zach growled. “Until Sydney’s true family is found, she belongs to us.”

  Blair stepped forward, despite the fact that her husband tried to hold her back. “That’s right. Possession is nine-tenths of the law, so I’ve heard. We’ve got her, and we’re keeping her.”

  “And we defy anyone to take her from us,” Kelly added belligerently.

  “Furthermore,” Zach put in, “if none of her relatives want or can care for her properly, Kelly and I intend to adopt her.”

  Kelly scarcely kept her chin from dropping open in surprise. Somehow she managed to rally and snap out, “That’s right. Now, you just march back to your office and tell your superiors to get their priorities in order!”

  At this point, an airline representative stepped into the fray, placing himself between Kelly and Ms. Newhart. “I think that might be best for all concerned,” he told the social worker. “The child is obviously in good hands, which is where she should be. We’ll be striving diligently to locate her family, and I’m sure all this can be ironed out in an amicable fashion, if we all just stay calm, reasonable, and put the child’s welfare above all else.”

  The woman gave a haughty sniff. “You’ll be hearing from us, and most likely from a judge.”

  “Likewise, I’m sure,” Zach retorted sharply. “We’ll have our lawyer call yours.”

  The woman gave them all a final glare and stomped off in a huff.

  Kelly gave a shaky sigh. “Well, things have really started off with a bang. Not back into society for half an hour, and we’re already embroiled in legal tangles.”

  “Welcome to the real world, tied up in a snarl of red tape,” Blair commiserated. Turning to Zach, she inquired quietly, “Did you mean what you said about adopting Sydney, or were you just spouting off? I’d love to be able to take her, but…”

  “I meant every word. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to confer with Kelly beforehand.” He gave Kelly a sheepish look. “Sorry, sweetheart. Was I out of line?”

  Kelly gave a bewildered shake of her head. “You know I love her. I do have one question, though. Just how large is this family of ours going to be? We haven’t even exchanged vows yet, and it’s growing by leaps and bounds.”

  “That’s hard to tell. As they say, love knows no bounds.”

  “Then I hope we can find a good sale on those baby monitors, buster, because twins run on my side of the line.”

  “Twins?” he repeated dumbly. �
��You’re kidding.”

  Kelly shrugged helplessly, and gestured toward the two red-haired imps on the sidelines, flanking their father, “Meet Shannon and Shane, and my twin brother, Collin. We call him Cole.”

  “Your twin brother?” Zach’s tone revealed his confusion. “The osteopath? I thought you said he was older than you.”

  Kelly offered a lame nod. “He is, by three whole minutes.”

  Chapter 24

  After the most hasty, perfunctory introductions between Blair’s family, Gavin’s, Kelly’s, and Zach’s, with promises to get better acquainted later, they were all shepherded onto the bus the airline had provided to take them to their hotel. Kelly wound up in a window seat, holding Sydney on her lap. There was little she could do, aside from creating another scene, to prevent Brad from claiming the seat next to her, though he all but pushed Shannon aside to accomplish it.

  “Do you have to be such a bully?” Kelly snapped irritably.

  “I want to talk with you.”

  “Well, I don’t want to talk with you,” she told him tartly. “Butt out, Brad. You and I are history.”

  “What’s this about you and lover boy wanting to adopt the kid?” he asked, ignoring her rebuttal.

  “That’s between Zach and me. It has nothing to do with you.”

  “You think so? I’ll remind you again, darlin’, you’re still my wife, and you will be for as long as I want it that way.”

  Kelly slid a glance at his hard-set face. “How do you figure that?”

  He smirked. “I’m a lawyer, honey. We know how the system works, all the ins and outs, the tricks of the trade. With delays and whatnot, I can drag this divorce out ’til doomsday, or at least until I get elected to the Senate.”

  “Employing the ‘good-ol’-boys’ network, I presume. Calling in markers from your attorney friends?”

  “Not to mention a few judges,” he concurred smugly. “You might as well give up and give in gracefully, Kelly. There’s no way you can win in a legal fight against me. The deck is stacked in my favor. Besides, as things stand now, you don’t have a plug nickel to your name.”