by Deb Kastner
He moved closer but at a slower pace, ready at a moment’s notice to go with his original plan.
“It’s my little nephew. Caden.”
Chapter Eight
Rachel’s heart plummeted at the words. This woman could be none other than Tracy’s sister, Trish.
What was she doing in Serendipity?
Seth had said she hadn’t had anything to do with Luke and Tracy in the past. She’d completely alienated herself from her sister. She hadn’t even shown up for Tracy’s funeral and had sent a lawyer in her stead for the reading of Luke and Tracy’s will.
If she remembered correctly, Seth had said Trish had never seen Caden in person, not even as an infant. She certainly didn’t have a clue who he was now. She’d scared poor Charlie half to death with her inept approach.
“Trish?” Seth asked, clearly having come to the same conclusion. “Trish Ward?”
When the woman’s gaze shifted from Caden to Seth, Rachel used the opportunity to steal Caden into her arms, which she hoped would offer the boy a sense of security in what was looking to be a confusing mess.
Caden was an intelligent, sensitive child and she knew he would perceive the undercurrent of tension that was already crackling between Trish and the Howells, who had gathered around Seth, presenting a united—and slightly intimidating—front before the woman.
“That’s right. I’m Trish. Caden’s auntie. And I’ve traveled a long way to see the child, so I would appreciate your cooperation in the matter.”
She sounded as if she were brokering some kind of business deal, not asking to visit her nephew.
For a moment, Seth’s expression appeared torn, but then he straightened his shoulders decisively and reached to take Caden from Rachel’s arms.
She closed ranks, standing side by side with Seth, her hand on his shoulder to let him know she was there for him and offer him silent reassurance and support.
“This is Caden,” he said cautiously.
Trish studied Caden for a second but made no move to reach out and take him.
Which was good for her, because Rachel was fighting against a profound protective urge to step between Trish and Caden and hold her arms out to imitate a physical wall.
She wasn’t sure what it was about Trish that set off all of Rachel’s internal alarms, but she knew she wasn’t the only one feeling it. Every adult in the vicinity, including Seth, had the same expression on their faces.
Perhaps it was that Trish looked so out of place among the country people. Maybe it was that she was so awkward with children. Then there was the fact that she hadn’t made the least effort to see Caden in the past when Tracy was alive.
She hadn’t even gone to her own sister’s funeral.
And now she was standing in the middle of Serendipity’s community green during a traditional celebration, dressed in outlandishly inappropriate clothing and asking after Caden because—
Why was she here?
“I’ve traveled a long way to get here,” Trish said, sounding annoyed. “A ridiculously long plane ride, not to mention the time it took to get to this podunk town in the middle of Nowhere, Texas. My limo driver said it wasn’t even on the map.”
“You should have rented a car,” Amanda Howell suggested, with only the tiniest trace of sarcasm in her tone. “It would have been much cheaper.”
Trish sniffed. “I won’t be staying long.”
Well, that was a relief, anyway. Perhaps she’d just had a touch of conscience and thought she ought to check in on her nephew. Now that the woman had seen that Caden was happy and healthy, well cared for and loved by everyone, maybe she would leave it at that.
And just plain leave.
“Why are you here?” Seth asked, pulling Caden even tighter against his chest.
“I have a perfect right to see my nephew.”
“True,” Seth agreed, his tone flat. “I’m not questioning that. I guess what I am wondering is why you’re here now. Let’s be honest, Trish. You haven’t shown much interest in Caden in the past, so I have to ask myself what changed that brought you here?”
Rachel bristled. Trish hadn’t shown any interest in Caden in the past. And now all of a sudden she was so concerned about her nephew?
Rachel didn’t think so.
The real question was—what was in it for her?
Then again, maybe she wasn’t being fair to Trish. Rachel was in no position to judge anyone. Technically, she wasn’t involved in this situation at all.
Except she was.
She had somehow become personally invested in Seth and Caden. She cared what happened to them.
She cared about them.
And though Trish hadn’t said as much, Rachel suspected she was a threat to them in some way. It only remained for her to figure out how.
And in the meantime, to try to show patience. And grace. The Lord could have worked on Trish’s conscience. No one was beyond His help. Granted, she didn’t know how to act around children, but that didn’t mean she was here out of anything but the best intentions and not the selfishness Rachel had automatically attributed to her.
Rachel decided to take a wait-and-see attitude.
Trish shrugged and flashed a not-quite-sincere smile. “Well, of course I want to see how my nephew is getting on, especially now that Tracy’s gone and Caden has a new—”
Trish paused and gave Seth an appreciative once-over that sent a chill down Rachel’s spine.
“—guardian,” Trish finished, her alto voice thick and humming with pleasure.
Apparently, the woman was much more adept at interacting with adult males than she was with toddlers. What she probably didn’t know was that not every single man walking the planet was susceptible to her charms.
Rachel felt Seth’s muscles stiffen and his jaw ticked with strain. She could tell that he didn’t enjoy Trish’s flirtatious manner with him any more than Charlie had cared for her disingenuous pat on the head.
“As you can see, I’ve got my whole family here celebrating the Fourth of July. Would you like to join us? We’ve got plenty of food left over,” Seth said, with far more grace than Rachel imagined she could have mustered.
Trish’s cool blue gaze flicked over the family and she pursed her lips.
“No, I don’t think so,” she said abruptly. “I have the limo driver waiting for me. If you will direct me to the nearest hotel—preferably five stars—I will get out of your way so you can have your family time. Seth, you and I will meet to discuss Caden later—in private.”
Rachel seethed at the way Trish ordered Seth around. Despite her resolve to keep an open mind, that clinched Rachel’s opinion of her. Trish didn’t really want to interact with Caden or see how he was faring, and she most definitely didn’t want to have anything to do with Caden’s new extended family.
Trish wouldn’t mind spending time with Seth, maybe, but Rachel was equally as sure he didn’t want to have a thing to do with Trish.
“I’m sorry to say we don’t have a hotel here in Serendipity,” Samantha said, not sounding particularly sorry at all. “If that’s what you need, you’ll have to ask your limo driver to take you into one of the larger cities. Amarillo has some nice hotels.”
“Or you could stay with us,” Samuel offered. “We’re no five-star resort, but we run a nice little bed-and-breakfast down by the stream. You’ll have your own private cabin with heat and indoor plumbing, and my Amanda here is well-known for her homemade country cooking.”
He paused and tossed Amanda an affectionate grin before returning his gaze to Trish. “You’ll be quite comfortable. We even have Wi-Fi in the main lodge.”
Trish looked aghast, as if the thought of spending the night in a country cabin was akin to camping out in a tent in the middle of a rugged mountain terrain.
With bears.
And coyotes.
With or without Wi-Fi.
“I think not,” Trish said, not even bothering to thank Samuel for the offer.
Rachel didn’t think she’d ever met anyone quite as rude and arrogant as Trish Ward.
“That is a very sweet offer, Samuel,” Rachel said, feeling like she needed to cover for Trish’s glaring lapse in good manners.
Trish appeared to take the hint.
“Yes, yes. Of course. Thank you, Samuel, but I think I’d prefer to find a hotel. Amarillo, did you say?”
Samantha nodded, a satisfied smile creeping up her lips.
When Trish wasn’t looking, Samantha caught Rachel’s eyes and mouthed, Or Mars.
It was all Rachel could do to withhold her laughter. This was the wrong time and place for that.
Trish fished around in her enormous designer purse for a moment before withdrawing her cell phone.
“Punch in your number for me, will you, Seth?” Her smile became so syrupy sweet it turned Rachel’s stomach.
Seth’s jaw was still set and pulsing as he put in his number.
“I’ll call you later so we can get together when you’re not so...busy with other people.”
“You do that,” Seth said, although it was evident from his tone that he hoped she would not.
Rachel hoped she would not, although she knew better than to hope they’d seen the last of Trish. For whatever reason—and it very obviously wasn’t to visit Caden—Trish Ward had traveled clear across the country to Serendipity.
And she wasn’t going away.
* * *
Seth thought he might be sick as he watched Trish Ward with her ridiculous platinum hair wobble her way off the community green. Several people tried to engage her in conversation, but she just lifted her chin and ignored them.
Not even a polite nod toward the friendly folks who were just trying to welcome a stranger in their midst.
He didn’t know how people acted where she came from, but in his part of the country, her behavior was considered just plain rude.
And wasn’t it wonderful that she was Caden’s aunt—by blood. He didn’t even want to think about the possible implications of that fact.
He pulled Caden tight to him and breathed in his little-boy scent—something that two months ago he never would have imagined as being so sweet and comforting. Caden had become completely vital to his existence.
The toddler wasn’t merely a responsibility in his life anymore, or a sacrifice he had to make for the sake of his deceased friends.
Caden was his baby blessing.
The toddler objected to being held so closely and squirmed and wiggled until Seth set him down. Seth let him go.
The boy was safe for now, anyway.
There were still times when Seth woke up late at night in a cold sweat, wondering why God had allowed the sniper to take Luke and not him. But he’d finally come to accept that, for whatever reason, he and Caden now had an inseparable bond together—one that went beyond blood and straight to Seth’s heart.
But Trish?
She was related to Caden by blood. Seth had Luke and Tracy’s will naming him Caden’s legal guardian, but what if Trish was here to make trouble and try to claim custody for herself?
“Hey.” Rachel’s voice was gentle as she laid a hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”
Seth took a deep, cleansing breath and slowly let it out, then picked off his hat and raked his fingers through his hair. He was getting a killer headache.
“Honestly? I don’t know.” He shook his head. “To tell the truth, I’m not sure of anything anymore.”
“Don’t second-guess yourself. Luke and Tracy knew what they were doing when they wrote their will and asked you to be Caden’s guardian. I’m sure they made sure that it’s completely ironclad. That’s what they wanted for Caden—you. Whatever Trish wants or thinks she’s entitled to, don’t forget that you are Caden’s daddy now, and nothing Trish does or says can change that.”
His heart warmed. It meant a lot that he had Rachel’s trust and support. He wished he had the words to express how grateful he was to have her near him, but his throat closed and he got all tongue-tied.
Samantha approached, holding Caden’s hand as he toddled around on the grass.
“You look like you’re about to jump out of your skin, little brother.”
He replaced his hat and stood to his full height, towering over Samantha.
“I haven’t been your little brother in years.”
Samantha jerked the brim of his hat down so it covered his eyes. “Maybe, but I’m still smarter than you are.”
“You wish.”
He might not have lost his sense of humor, but stress was still rolling off him in waves, and he knew Samantha was just trying to cheer him up.
“No, seriously, I came to tell you that Mom and I want to spend some quality time with Caden,” Samantha said. “I don’t think there’s any concern about Trish returning this evening. Why don’t you and Rachel take a walk around the green—to clear your big head.”
“You two are terrible.” Rachel chuckled at the back-and-forth interchange between the siblings.
Samantha snorted. “You should have seen us when we were little tykes.”
“Yeah,” Seth agreed. “She could outwrestle me until I hit my adolescent growth spurt.”
“You’d better believe it,” Samantha crowed.
“She’d start it, and then when Mom and Dad would come in, she’d blame it on me and I’d be the one who got in trouble. Dad said I wasn’t supposed to wrestle girls, but Samantha isn’t a girl. She’s my sister.”
Samantha snickered.
“And worse, she still pinches me when she doesn’t get her way.”
Samantha demonstrated, pinching Seth’s cheeks like she would a toddler’s. “Isn’t he just the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen?”
“Cut it out.” Heat filled his cheeks, and not because his sister had been pinching them. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know Rachel’s answer to that question. What if it was another ego-deflating reply? He swatted Samantha’s hand away.
Rachel’s chuckle turned into outright laughter. “I never had a brother or sister to spar with, and Zooey is an only child. Seeing you two together makes me wish she could have had a sibling.”
“Zooey’s really good with children,” Samantha observed. “I saw her playing with Caden earlier and he just adores her.”
“Like mother, like daughter,” Seth agreed, feeling oddly proud about the statement.
“Speaking of Zooey—where is she?” Samantha asked. “I can keep an eye on her, too, if you want.”
“Off with her friends,” Rachel answered. “I told her to be back right after the fireworks display is finished.”
“Great. Then there is no reason for you two not to take that walk I mentioned.”
Samantha winked and mouthed the words Be good to him. The heat in his face turned to a burning open flame. Thankfully, she hadn’t voiced her comment aloud, and Rachel didn’t appear to have noticed.
Otherwise, he would have had to string his sister up by her ears.
He still might.
He mock-scowled at her and took Rachel’s hand.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here before Samantha finds something else to embarrass me about.”
He didn’t realize that he was practically running off the green until Rachel pulled him up, her breath coming in short gasps.
“Look, I know you want to put some distance between yourself and your mischievous sister, but if you don’t slow your pace, you’re going to be dragging deadweight here in a second. I’m about to pass out. You may be a marathon runner, but me, not so much.”
He laughed. “Sorry. Do you want to sit for a moment?” He gestured to a nearby bench.
“Just for a minute, if you don’t mind. It won’t take me long to catch my breath.”
He led her to the bench and sat down beside her, never once letting go of her hand.
She didn’t seem to mind—and he needed the human contact right now just to ground him after that confrontation with Trish.
Rachel stared at their clasped hands, and for a moment he thought she might pull away, but instead she threaded her fingers through his and gave his hand a light squeeze.
“I’m sorry Trish had to show up and ruin your family get-together,” she said softly. Regretfully.
“Yeah. What is with that?”
“I don’t know. She’s a strange cookie. I just don’t understand why she’s suddenly shown up in Serendipity, pretending to be interested in Caden.”
“You got that, too, that she’s just pretending to be interested in Caden, huh?”
“It was kind of hard to miss. I think she frightened poor Charlie half to death. As someone who works with children on a regular basis, I can tell you definitively that that woman has never been around a child in her life.”
“Which makes me wonder...”
“Why she’s here now,” Rachel finished for him. “Because it can’t be for Caden’s sake.”
“Exactly.” He put his other hand over their threaded fingers and gently stroked the inside of her wrist with his thumb.
They were both silent for a moment before he shared what was on his mind.
“Do you think—” He inhaled deeply and plunged on. “Is it possible she’s just here to meet her nephew? That she suddenly realized she was making a mistake to alienate her family, and she wants to make amends now?”
“It’s possible,” Rachel said, quietly and deliberately. “But not probable. Nothing I saw or heard today made me think she was really here because she cares for Caden in any way—except that I had the oddest feeling she wanted something from him.”
He cringed, and Rachel tightened her grip on his hand.