Horizons

by Catherine Hart

  The house detective arrived just in time to catch Brad as Zach shoved him out the door. “Mr. Sanders entered Ms. Kennedy’s room illegally,” Zach explained. “They’re in the process of getting a divorce, and he’s harassing her.”

  The man frowned and grabbed Brad by the arm. “I’ll take care of it,” he stated. “Is he a guest here?”

  “No,” Kelly piped up. “And I don’t want him coming anywhere near me again. If he does, I’ll press charges.”

  The detective gave Brad a rough tug in the direction of the elevator. “Come along, Sanders. You’re trespassing and creating a public nuisance. Consider this your last warning. Step one foot on hotel property again, and we’ll have you arrested.”

  Zach watched until the elevator doors closed behind Brad and the detective. Then he shut and locked the door to Kelly’s room and turned to face her. “Is there any truth to Brad’s claim?”

  She gave him a smug look. “Absolutely. The moron always tapes his travelers’ checks inside the frame of the dresser. Has for years. And he always endorses them, too. Don’t worry, Zach. As I said, it’s perfectly legal for me to have cashed them, and that dirty so-and-so only got a portion of what he deserves. He’s left me virtually penniless, aside from those checks I found.”

  She went on to outline her current dilemma to him. At the end of her diatribe, Zach threaded his fingers through his hair, ruffling its neatly combed state. “I should have beaten the bastard senseless while I had the chance,” he growled.

  “No.” She shook her head. “If either of you lands in jail, I’d rather it be Brad. But I am going to have to get in touch with a good attorney immediately, someone out of Brad’s circle, and with a lot of clout. I’ve got to get the divorce going again, get a new will made out, make sure Brad no longer has power of attorney when it comes to my affairs, and stop the sale of my clubs. Then we’ll see about the rest of the mess, like getting my pilfered funds back.”

  “We’ll find you a lawyer who specializes in this field,” Zach promised. “One who will stake Brad out to dry, preferably over an anthill.”

  “I wonder if we can get someone who will work on a contingency basis. This sounds as if it could get very expensive.”

  “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Zach! Your family already suspects I’m a gold-digger. Having you foot my legal expenses would only confirm it, at least from their perspective.”

  “Then we won’t tell them. There’s no reason they’ll ever have to know.”

  Kelly opened her mouth to argue the point, then shut it again with a frown. “Where’s Sydney?”

  Zach blinked in surprise and looked around the room. “She went to the bathroom. Good grief, I hope she didn’t get stuck, or something!”

  They both made a beeline for the bathroom—and there was Sydney, sound asleep on the bath mat, her tights and panties still around her ankles, her bare behind hunched into the air.

  Kelly chuckled softly. “Poor baby! She’s just all tuckered out.”

  Zach lifted the child from the floor, and laughed. “She’s as limp as an overcooked noodle. A bomb could go off right now, and she’d sleep right through it.” He deposited her in her crib, and Kelly removed her shoes and tights and tugged her panties back into place.

  Then, Kelly covered the toddler with a light blanket, commenting, “I’d forgotten how cold air conditioning could feel. Not that I’m complaining mind you, but it’s going to take some getting used to again.”

  “By the way,” Zach said, “there were no travelers checks in your purse that I saw, in your name or otherwise. Where did you stash them?”

  “Not where Brad did his, that’s for sure!” Kelly informed him. “That would have been the first place he looked, which I’m certain he did,” She speedily unbuttoned her dress from hem to neckline, spreading the two panels apart to reveal her lacy new undies. “Want to go treasure hunting for traveler’s checks, Zach?” she cooed.

  His smile spread to his bright gold eyes. “Forget the checks. I’m more interested in booby and bottom booty.”

  Kelly laughed. “Bet you can’t say that three times, real fast.”

  He reached for her, and they both tumbled onto the big bed. “Bet I can get you to do something else three times real fast,” he boasted.

  She gazed at him, her green eyes dancing with devilment. “Give it your best shot, Tarzan! I double-dog dare you!”

  Chapter 27

  Zach swatted Kelly on her bare posterior. “Let that be a lesson to you. I’m not one to allow a dare to go unchallenged.”

  She giggled. “That’s nice to know.

  Zach reached for his pants as Kelly reached for the phone.

  “I’m going to call room service. Do you want something?”

  He leered playfully at her nude form. “Yeah, but it will have to wait. Becky’s probably breaking out in hives by now.”

  Before she’d touched it, the phone rang, startling Kelly. She laughed. “Bet that’s someone from your tribe, trying to track down the prodigal son.”

  Zach shrugged into his shirt as she picked up the receiver. He heard her say, “Pardon me?” Followed almost immediately by, “Is this a joke?”

  “What?” Zach mouthed. “Who is it?”

  “The President,” she whispered, covering the mouthpiece.

  “The president of the airlines?”

  “No!” she hissed. “The President of the United States!”

  “You’re kidding.”

  Evidently she wasn’t, for she nearly snapped to attention as she said to the person on the other end of the line, “Yes, Mr. President, I’m here.”

  Pause.

  “Likewise, I’m sure.”

  Pause.

  “Yes, sir. Thank you sir.”

  Pause.

  “It was quite a frightening experience, one I wouldn’t care to repeat anytime soon.”

  Pause. A smile for Zach.

  “Yes, it certainly did. I’m very happy. Thank you.” Pause.

  “Yes, we do. That would be wonderful.”

  Another pause. Kelly’s face grew thoughtful.

  “Actually, sir, now that you’ve offered, there is something you may be able to do for me.”

  To Zach’s utter amazement, his intended bride launched into an explanation of her problems with Brad, her businesses, the whole enchilada—at the end of which there was another extended lull while the President spoke. Finally, Kelly said, “That would be great, but I have to consider the expense you know.” Then, “Really? Are you sure this wouldn’t get you or anyone else into trouble?”

  Pause.

  “Yes, I guess they are public servants. Monday would be fine. Phoenix. I’m in the book. Thank you. I can’t imagine how I’ll ever repay you for this.” Kelly laughed. “I certainly will. I hope it works out well, too.”

  Pause.

  “He’s right here, or would you prefer to speak to him when he rejoins his family in his own room?”

  “Right. In about fifteen minutes, then? I’ll tell him. Goodbye, sir.”

  Kelly hung up and stood there, dazed. “He’s going to help, Zach. He’s going to contact the Attorney General’s office and see if someone there can sort this nonsense out for me immediately. In fact, he said someone would get in touch on Monday, as soon as I get back to Phoenix. He’s appalled that Brad would use his auspices in a manner so unbecoming a member of the bar. Oh, he saw the clip of us and Sydney on T.V. earlier, and said not to worry about anyone from Social Services trying to take Sydney from us. He’s taking care of that, too.” She stopped long enough to draw a deep breath. “Can you believe this? The President of the United States is going to help little old me! Us! Isn’t this incredible?”

  “What’s more amazing,” Zach told her, shaking his head in wonder, “is that you had the nerve to ask him to do it. Whatever possessed you?”

  Kelly’s face clouded. “He offered first. I’m not that brazen, Zach. He asked if there
was, and I quote, ‘anything, anything at all I can do for you, to make your transition back into civilization smoother.’ I swear, it was almost as if the man had read my mind!”

  “I wouldn’t credit him with that much power, darling. He’s the President, not God. Besides, I already told you I’d help you find a lawyer.”

  “Yes, but you’ve got to admit, having the Attorney General’s office breathing down your neck is a tad more threatening, and it just might break up that close-knit legal network of attorneys and judges that Brad’s so proud of throwing in everyone’s face. Which would be a benefit to a lot of folks who are beating their heads against a stone wall trying to get justice from a very select and discriminating system.” She approached him with an apologetic look. “Not that I don’t appreciate your offer, love. I just think this way will be faster and a whole lot more effective. Moreover, it will scare Brad right out of his BVDs.”

  “Speaking of which,” Zach commented, allowing a grin to creep over his face, “do you realize you just held a very lengthy conversation with the President, and you don’t have a stitch on? He’d likely have had a coronary if he knew you were standing there, prancing back and forth in the nude.”

  Kelly mouth gaped. “Oh, my lands!” Then she giggled. “It’s a good thing we didn’t have one of those viewer phones, isn’t it? Or some sort of audio-visual computer link-up.”

  “Was there some other bit of information you were supposed to relay to me?” Zach asked. “Just before you hung up, it sounded as if he wanted to speak to me.”

  “Good grief, yes!” Kelly couldn’t believe she’d nearly forgotten. She pushed him toward the door. “He going to call you, too, in about fifteen minutes. No, more like seven minutes now, I suppose. You’d better hurry down to your room and alert your family. I’m sure they’ll all want to be present when he does. After all, it’s not every day the average citizen gets a personal message from the President!”

  “And not everyday Jane Q. Public has the gall to take him up on a polite but meaningless gesture,” Zach reminded her.

  “You’re not really mad at me, are you?” she inquired uncertainly.

  Zach shook his head. “More like awestruck by your daring, especially when you did it stark staring naked!” Thus reminded, he urged her to the blind side of the door.

  “See you at dinner, if not before.” He kissed her soundly, and quickly slipped out.

  A mere second later, the door popped open again, just enough for Kelly to wedge her head through the crack. “Zach!” she hissed. When he turned, she whispered. “In honor of such a momentous call, maybe you ought to do better than I did and zip up your pants!”

  Kelly had time to wolf down half a sandwich and a dill pickle before her first solo meeting with the airline officials in charge of investigating the crash. Then she hurried back to relieve her parents of babysitting duty.

  “Holy Neds! What a day!” she declared, flopping into a chair in their room. “I’m so tired I can hardly hold my head up! I can’t remember the last time I was this busy— and that dill pickle isn’t setting too well, either.”

  “You do look a little green around the dills,” her father joked.

  “Was Sydney good for you?”

  “Better behaved than you are today,” her mother complained. “I can’t believe you didn’t bother to notify us when you got that call from the President!”

  “Mom! What was I supposed to do, put the President on hold while I dashed down the hall to get you? Besides, I wasn’t even dressed.”

  “I thought you said Zach was there,” Eileen said, frowning.

  Kelly wriggled in her chair, just the way she always had when she’d gotten caught doing something wrong as a child. “He was,” she admitted in a small voice.

  “Then you might have sent him to fetch us,” Eileen pouted.

  “Heavens above, Eileen! Don’t be dense!” Ryan exclaimed. “If she was naked, it stands to reason Zach was, too. After all, they are engaged, and she is pregnant, and I’ll wager she didn’t get into that condition by swallowing watermelon seeds.”

  It was a toss-up who blushed the reddest, mother or daughter.

  “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter how much they carry on now,” Eileen allowed. “The damage is done, as you said, and she can’t get pregnant twice over.” She glowered at her daughter. “I just wish you could have waited, at least until your divorce from Brad was final. This is somewhat embarrassing, you know.”

  Ryan chuckled. “Probably wasn’t much else to do on that island, and nature will take its course, after all. By the way, Eileen, do you remember that old ’65 Mustang I used to have when we were dating?” he inquired, with a nostalgic expression. “Of course, it wasn’t so old then, and neither were we. As I recall, that car had some pretty good shocks, too. Especially the rear ones.”

  “You just hush, Ryan Kennedy!” Eileen warned, wagging her finger at him. “You can be the most exasperating man! You and your habit of telling tales out of school!”

  “Oh, come on, you two,” Kelly said with a laugh. “It’s not as if Cole and I didn’t figure most of this out on our own, years ago. As for my ‘condition,’ you’re both as thrilled as I am, so why don’t you just forego the indignant parent act and admit it?”

  Eileen threw her hands up. “You’re right. We know how badly you’ve wanted a child, and how you grieved over the one you lost. We’re very happy for you, and we’re looking forward to having another grandchild.”

  “Or two,” Ryan put in. “Did you warn Zach that twins run in our family?”

  “Only after the fact,” Kelly confessed. “It sort of slipped my mind for a while.”

  “How did he take it?” her dad wanted to know. “With Sydney, and his daughter, you might end up having quite a brood.”

  “Fortunately, he adores children.”

  “So, do we get to meet this paragon sometime before the wedding?” Eileen queried. “I thought you were going to make time for that this afternoon, after the press conference.”

  “That didn’t pan out the way I’d planned it,” Kelly explained. “After we rescued Blair from her knows-everything, does-nothing husband, we spent a few minutes with Zach’s family. Then, Sydney had to go potty and was whining for her nap, and we ended up having to boot Brad out of my room. Then the President called, Zach left, and I had this blasted meeting to attend.” She stared up at her parents in weary confusion. “Did they shorten the hours in a day while I was gone?”

  “No dear, you’re just not used to such a fast pace, after lolling around on that island for the past two months,” her mother said. “I’m sorry I was so short with you. It’s just that I would so have loved hearing your conversation with the President. Why, I’d have been the hit of my pinochle group.”

  Kelly glanced at her watch. “Nuts! Here we go again! I’ll just have time to get freshened up before dinner and put a shine to Sydney. I promise you’ll get to talk with Zach this evening. You might even get to make a few points for me with his daughter, Becky. As things stand now, she despises me.”

  “That won’t last,” Ryan predicted. “No one can resist Irish charm for long. Just wait until she hears a few of my stories, sweetie. She’ll be all agog wanting to know more about wee people and magic fairies and leprechauns and such.”

  Kelly laughed as she scooped Sydney off the floor, where the toddler had been playing with a stack of coasters.

  “Come on dumplin’. Let’s let Papaw rehearse his tall tales.” Over her shoulder, she waved and called back, “Don’t forget to tell Becky about the blarney stone, Dad, and how you swallowed it.”

  The airline had set up a buffet dinner in honor of the survivors and their families. Kelly wore the paisley jacket over her new black dress, hoping that if Sydney took a notion to paint her with food, the splatters would blend in with the pattern. Slowly but surely, she was learning to take this sort of “baby thing” into consideration, and actually revelling in it. She’d certainly waited long enough to b
e a mommy, and wanted to enjoy every delicious moment—the good, the bad, and the messy.

  Evidently, someone had done their homework, or at least taken enough notice to place Zach’s family directly across the table from Kelly’s. To make it even more convenient, the parents were seated opposite each other, the better to become acquainted, and the children had been grouped together for like reason, to insure that their conversation would not interfere overmuch with that of the adults. To further facilitate matters, high chairs and oversized bibs had been provided for Sydney and Leah’s baby. On the adult end, Gavin’s family sat opposite Blair’s, with Alita rounding out the party.

  There was one rather delicate moment at the outset, when an airline delegate invoked the blessing prior to the meal. The prayer, while touching on the lives of those lost in the crash and expressing gratefulness on behalf of these few survivors, was nonetheless decidedly Christian. Kelly, seated across from her future Jewish relatives, could not help but wince. Then she caught Zach’s reassuring wink, and relaxed a bit. If it didn’t bother him, she wasn’t going to worry over it.

  Then her own father started the dinner conversation off with a bang, by asking Ike who he’d voted for in the last election. Kelly groaned. Eileen gave Ryan a sharp nudge, and said, “How many times have you heard me tell our children not to discuss politics or religion at a public function? Now that they’re grown, I suppose I’m going to have to teach you those same manners.”

  “You’re absolutely right, Mrs. Kennedy,” Sarah agreed. “More wars have been fought over those two issues than anything else.”

  “Oh, call me, Eileen. It’s much less formal.”

  Thus it began, the initial exchange of information between the families, the gradual discovery of subtle differences and similarities among them. Naturally, much of the talk centered around Zach and Kelly.