To Be a Mother

by Rebecca Winters

  “Well, he didn’t have much money to pay for anything more expensive. Sometimes I provided the picnic if we went boating. Most of the time he and his buddies ate macaroni and cheese in the dorm, and we went out for ice cream. He put up peanut butter sandwiches to take to work.”

  “Dad still does that.” Her brows met together. “Can’t you think of anything else?”

  “Hmm. Sunday dinner was sacrosanct at my home. Because I knew my parents would be upset if they found out how much time I spent with your father, I never asked if he could come to dinner.

  “As soon as it was over and I’d helped with the dishes, I’d drive one of our cars to his work and stay with him until he got off at nine. Sometimes if I could get away with it, I’d take some leftover roast in foil so he could make sandwiches. He often talked about the great roast dinners he ate at his uncle Willard’s.”

  “What kind of roast?”

  “Probably beef, since your relatives ran cattle on their property.”

  Jessica glanced at her watch. “It’s three-twenty. If we bought a roast, how long do you think it would take to cook?”

  “You don’t have one in your freezer?”

  “Dad never buys roast. Besides, he uses the freezer to store all his experiments and stuff.”

  It was Samantha’s turn to chuckle. “A beef tender-loin roast cooks up pretty fast.”

  “If you drove me to the store we could be back in ten minutes.”

  She bit her lip. “Your father might not like me taking his car.”

  “I promise he won’t care. There’s an extra set of keys in the drawer.” Jessica dashed into the kitchen for them. “This is so cool. I finally have someone who can drive me besides Dad!”

  They both put on their jackets before leaving. Samantha was happy to do her part, but she drew the line at going in the store. She was afraid it might create too much attention. Nick wouldn’t like it.

  “Tell you what,” she said once they’d pulled into the parking area. “While you get the meat and a nice cauliflower, I’ll fill the car with gas. It’s running on empty as we speak.”

  “Okay. Charge it to Dad. He has an account there.”

  “Fine,” Samantha said, though she had every intention of paying for the gas herself. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”

  She made a U-turn and started down the road. Buying gas for Nick’s car was the least she could do for him. He’d made a miracle happen by allowing her to have a relationship with Jessica. There wasn’t enough she could do for him in return.

  When she pulled in next to a pump, she closed her eyes for a minute. If this is a dream, don’t let me wake up.

  Someone tapped on the window. She jerked her head around, then pressed the button to lower the glass.

  “Hi there.” A fortyish-looking man smiled at her with male admiration.

  “Hello. Would you fill it with unleaded please?”

  “You bet.” After he’d put the nozzle in the tank he came back to her. “For a minute I thought Jessica had taken her dad’s car on a joy ride.”

  Uh-oh. “No. I’m her mother.”

  He grinned. “You look too young.”

  The man had to be kidding!

  “I’m Bill Hughes, a friend of Nick’s.”

  “Oh yes. I met your daughter Jenny a little while ago. She’s a lovely girl.”

  “Thank you. So’s Jessica. Are you here on a vacation?”

  What to say? “I came to visit my daughter.” Before he could ask another question she said, “I’ll be back in a week to go to the mother-and-daughter party with her at the school.”

  “That’ll make Jessica’s day.”

  “It has already made mine. How much do I owe you?”

  “That’s okay. This tank’s on me.”

  Samantha could have argued about it but decided not to. “Thank you very much, Mr. Hughes. It’s nice to have met you.”

  He nodded. “You’re welcome. Next time call me Bill.”

  “I will,” she said, doubting very much she’d be seeing him again.

  After putting up the window, she swung the car around and drove back to the store. Jessica still hadn’t come out yet. While Sam waited, she decided now would be a good time to call Marilyn.

  To her dismay she got her friend’s voice mail instead of a live person. Samantha left a brief message about her plans and told her she’d see her tomorrow after she arrived at the condo.

  As she was putting her phone back in her purse, there was another tap on the window. She turned her head in time to see two rangers in hats standing there studying her. They looked to be in their early twenties. Cute.

  “Yes?” she said after lowering the window again.

  “Sorry, ma’am. We thought Jessica was driving Ranger Kincaid’s car and came over to give her a lecture before her dad caught her.”

  This was probably going to be a regular occurrence until Samantha met everyone in Moose! But she couldn’t help wondering if Jessica had a bit of a problem. Most teenagers wanted to drive a car before they were old enough. Did Nick know about it?

  “I’m her mother.”

  “Sorry for the mistake, Mrs. Kincaid.” They both tipped their hats and stepped away from the car to their patrol truck.

  “Wait—” she called out, intending to correct them, but they took off too fast. Samantha sat back in the seat.

  Mrs. Kincaid…

  That’s what she could have been if—No, don’t even dare think about it.

  “Hi, Mom.” Jessica shut the passenger door. “I got everything we needed. What did the rangers want?”

  She turned her head toward her daughter and told her about both incidents.

  Jessica’s mouth broke into a smile. “That’s so cool. Everyone thinks we look alike.”

  Samantha had her answer. Jessica hadn’t been doing anything illegal behind Nick’s back. They started for the house. “There’s only one problem. They called me Mrs. Kincaid.”

  “That’ll frost Dad.” But she said it with a grin.

  “I’m sure it will,” Samantha muttered.

  “Don’t worry about it, Mom. They’re new recruits who don’t know anything yet. Dad says they’re wet behind the ears.”

  Her dad was bigger than life to her.

  When they carried the groceries into the kitchen a few minutes later, the phone was ringing. Jessica reached for it. “Kincaid residence.”

  Samantha removed her jacket, then washed her hands and took the paper off the roast. Jessica anticipated her actions and found a pan so it could go in the oven.

  “I’d love to baby-sit Cory, but my mom stayed over and won’t be going back to Idaho until tomorrow. I’m sorry—”

  “Jessica? Tell her just a minute.”

  Her daughter blinked. “Leslie? Hold on for a sec.” She put a hand over the mouthpiece. “What is it?”

  “I don’t mind if Cory comes over. He’s the son of your dad’s best friend. I’d like to meet him. I want to be a part of your life, get to know your friends.” I want to be a part of Nick’s. I want things I have no right to ask for.

  “Cory’s a lot of fun. I’ll tell him to bring some of his games.”

  “Good. I love games.”

  Her daughter flashed her a smile that reminded her of Nick at his most competitive. “So do I.”

  She turned back to the phone. “Leslie? Mom says it’s fine with her. She wants to meet Cory. Bring him and Lucy over anytime. What? Okay. Just a minute.” Jessica handed her the phone. “She wants to talk to you.”

  Samantha nodded. “Hello, Leslie? This is Samantha Bretton. I’ve heard a lot about you. All of it absolutely wonderful.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  NICK HAD JUST PUT the last soil sample into his carrying case when his phone went off. He glanced at the caller ID and answered. “Hi, Rex. What’s going on?”

  “My wife’s sister drove up from Evanston for the weekend. We thought we’d invite a few friends for dinner. How would you like to come? This
is totally impromptu.”

  “What time do you want me to be there?” He fired back the question without having to think about it.

  There was a pause. “Am I talking to the right Nick Kincaid?” Rex asked, sounding as if he didn’t quite believe his ears.

  “Do you know another one?” he teased.

  “Yeah. I know a Nick who wouldn’t accept a blind date if you bribed him with a million bucks.”

  “Oh. That Nick. He used to have a problem with his daughter who suffered from separation anxiety. But the problem appears to have been fixed. At least for this weekend. So I’m your man.”

  “You sound different, you know that?” Rex said in a more serious tone. “For a lot of reasons I’m glad to hear it.”

  “What time do you want me for dinner?” Nick redirected the conversation. Right now he didn’t want to think, let alone talk, about Sam.

  “Seven-thirty. Don’t worry about my sister-in-law. She’s as gun-shy as you are in the being-set-up-for-a-date department. If there’s chemistry between the two of you, it’s anyone’s guess which of you will be the more surprised.”

  “Message received. Thanks for the invite, Rex. Tell your wife I’m looking forward to it.”

  He rang off and climbed in the cab of the truck. His watch said twenty to seven. It would take him a half hour to get home. If he hurried, he’d make it to the Hollisters’ by seven-thirty or thereabouts. Jessica had probably fixed tacos for her mother. He would enjoy the leftovers tomorrow.

  He knew he was dead wrong the second he walked into the kitchen. The smell of roast and everything that went with it assailed him. The kitchen table had been set with a cloth and matching napkins for four people.

  On the way to his bedroom he glanced into the living room and discovered towheaded Cory at the piano with Jessica. They were playing chopsticks. Lucy followed Nick down the hall. She sniffed at his pants, which smelled of dam water, sending her into ecstasy.

  When Sam unexpectedly came out of Jessica’s bedroom dressed in a pair of navy sweats, the kind he liked to wear around the house, his heart missed several beats.

  She let out a soft gasp. “You’re home! Jessica will be thrilled. She has worked so hard on this dinner for you. The only thing she let me do was set the table according to her exact specifications.”

  Nick stifled a groan. How could he have been so stupid? Of course his daughter had wanted to impress her mother with this first meal. She wanted to show that she’d grown up to be the perfect little hostess who’d been taking good care of her father all these years. This was something she needed to prove in front of both her parents.

  Unfortunately, he’d already committed to Rex and couldn’t back out now. He had to think fast to come up with a solution that wouldn’t disappoint his daughter or his friend.

  “I’ll be ready in five minutes. I have other plans for this evening so I’ll have to eat quickly.”

  She didn’t flick an eyelash. “Then I’ll help her put everything on the table right now.”

  “Thanks.”

  His eyes followed her retreating figure before he realized he didn’t have time to dwell on the curves she’d retained in spite of her weight loss. While Lucy raced after her, he dashed into his bedroom and took a two-minute shower.

  Once he’d shaved and dressed in a pullover and trousers, he phoned Rex and told him not to hold dinner for him, that he’d be there by eight-fifteen at the latest. Being the good man he was, Rex didn’t ask questions, only thanked him for the call.

  The vegetables and gravy along with the roast were so good, Nick asked for a third helping. Jessica may have done the cooking, but Sam had provided the impetus and the know-how.

  Cory’s blue eyes looked huge behind the glasses he wore to correct his amblyopia. “How can you eat that much?”

  “Like Popeye and his spinach, rangers have to eat lots of meat and potatoes to keep up their strength,” Sam explained.

  “But I like pizza,” Cory said, sounding a little worried before he took another bite from the slice Jessica had warmed up for him.

  Sam smiled. “Everyone loves pizza, Cory. Nick ate it almost every day at college. All that protein and calcium in the cheese gave him big muscles and beautiful white teeth.”

  “Really?” Cory stared at Nick with new appreciation.

  Nick was afraid to look at Sam, who’d just given Cory a lot to think about. In the process of making him feel good about his limited food preference, she’d brought up a whole host of intimate memories better left in the deep freeze.

  He pushed himself away from the table and walked around to hug his daughter. “That was the best meal I ever tasted. Thanks, honey.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “It was out of this world, darling.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Jessica looked happy.

  Obviously Sam had told his daughter he was going out. To his amazement she seemed all right with it, otherwise his departure would have robbed her of the joy of the moment.

  “Where are you going?” Cory asked.

  “To the Hollisters’. They’re having a party.”

  “Mom and Dad already left for their house.”

  That news didn’t surprise Nick. Rex and his wife must have figured the more friends around, the easier this blind date would go. “Are you going to sleep over at our house tonight, sport?”

  “Yup. I brought my sleeping bag. Lucy’ll be good.”

  “Terrific. See all you guys in the morning.”

  “We’ll be quiet in case you want to stay unconscious till ten, Dad.”

  “I appreciate that. Good night.”

  Because the Xtera needed gas and Nick couldn’t fill it up until tomorrow when he took Sam to the airport, he drove the truck to the Hollisters’, who lived a couple of blocks away.

  Pierce had parked his Grand Cherokee in front of the house behind an unfamiliar Chevy Tahoe. It probably belonged to Evanston’s newest doctor.

  Rex’s wife showed him inside and introduced him to her sister, Melanie, a tall blonde who was attractive in an athletic kind of way. It looked as if everyone was at the dessert stage of dinner. Though Nick was stuffed, he didn’t dare refuse the apple pie à la mode.

  Except for Pierce and Leslie, no one knew Sam was in Moose. Though Nick could depend on the Gallaghers’ discretion not to say anything about it, the coincidence of Melanie visiting her sister at the same time was amazing to say the least.

  The evening turned out to be a pleasant one. Melanie was laid-back, yet interesting to talk to. Nick found the Hollisters’ latest home movies of a family trip to Cancun with their eight- and nine-year-olds entertaining.

  But before they’d finished viewing everything, Pierce received an emergency call from headquarters at the same moment a couple of the younger park rangers appeared at Rex’s front door. Everyone assembled in the foyer to find out what was wrong.

  It seemed a semi had plowed into one end of the Moose visitors’ center following a high-speed police chase. The rangers had gotten involved when the truck didn’t stop at the entrance to the park.

  “That’s a new one for the books,” Pierce muttered. “We’re on our way.”

  Nick eyed Pierce. “We’ll go in my truck.”

  “Do you want us to run your wives home?” one of the rangers asked.

  “I thought you guys knew I’m not married,” Nick told them.

  “Whoops. Today we saw your Xtera in front of the store and thought Jessica was in the driver’s seat. That is until we went over to talk to her and met her beautiful mother.” What? “I called her Mrs. Kincaid by accident. Sorry.”

  Oh hell. Did the idiot have to blurt it out for Melanie to hear? Nick turned to her. “I’ll call you tomorrow before you leave for Evanston.”

  “That’s okay, Nick. I’ll be leaving early, but it was nice to have met you.”

  AT EIGHT IN THE MORNING, everyone tiptoed down the hall to the front door as prearranged. Cory hurried out to Leslie�
�s Grand Cherokee with Lucy and got in front. Samantha stood on the front porch and breathed in the cold air while she waited for Jessica to put the note she’d written to her father under the fridge magnet.

  This morning like yesterday was overcast. Mist shrouded the peaks of the Tetons. She didn’t think the temperature had dipped to freezing, but it had to be close to it. Not the greatest weather for flying, but no new storms had been forecast.

  “Dad came in at five, so I shut off his alarm,” Jessica informed her.

  If Nick hadn’t come home from a party until this morning, then he had to be involved with a woman who mattered to him. The knowledge shouldn’t have hurt Samantha, but it did. In fact, she felt shattered, but she couldn’t let her daughter know it.

  Jessica pulled the door shut before they both walked to the car, where Leslie Gallagher stood waiting. With her stylish, light-brown hair and hazel eyes, Cory’s new mom was a stunning woman, Samantha thought. She imagined they were about the same age.

  The other woman had been so easy to talk to on the phone that Samantha was already prepared to like her. When Leslie gave her a spontaneous hug instead of a handshake, Samantha felt as if she’d gained a new friend.

  Leslie took her suitcase and put it in the rear of the car while Samantha and Jessica climbed in the back. The heater was going strong. It felt good.

  Once they were off, Leslie said, “Guess what, Cory? In just a minute you’re going to see a sight you’ve never seen before.”

  Hugging his dog, he peered at her from behind his glasses. “How come?”

  “Because I don’t think an eighteen-wheeler truck has ever driven straight into the wall of the Moose Visitors’ Center before.”

  “You’re kidding!” Jessica cried.

  “Nope. That’s why Pierce and your father didn’t get home until five this morning. There was so much cleanup to do, the poor things will probably sleep till late this afternoon.”

  “Oh my gosh!” Jessica blurted the moment the center came into view. It did look like a war zone to Samantha, with all the yellow police tape and cars and rangers milling around keeping tourists away.

  Sheets of plastic protected the gaping hole in the end of the building. The damaged semi had been moved to the side parking lot. There was already a construction crew on the site.