The Second Family

by Janice Carter

  “There is one other business matter to clarify,” she said. “About my father’s estate. Nick took us—”

  “Us?”

  Tess was annoyed at the surge of heat at his question. Was it any of his business? “Well, Alec Malone and me.”

  Walker gave a thoughtful nod.

  Tess continued. “We went camping to a site outside Lyons, off Highway 36. Nick said his family went there quite often and he thinks Richard owned it.” She stopped, watching his face for any sign of recognition. “Do you know anything about it? Is it listed in the estate inventory?”

  “As a matter of fact, I have no knowledge of any land—other than the ranch—that Richard and Gabriela owned. Now, is there anything else?”

  So scratch that idea, Tess thought. “The main reason I came to see you,” she said, changing the subject, “was that I’ve decided to apply to be the legal guardian for Nick and Molly.”

  If he was surprised, he hid it well. Scarcely a flicker of an eyelid. Tess had expected some sign of pleasure—she was, after all, relieving him of the task of the children’s welfare. Though she wondered if he’d ever considered himself responsible for them at all, given his willingness to pass them over to foster care.

  “Have you given this serious thought?”

  “I hardly think someone in my position would take on such a responsibility without doing just that.”

  A faint smile came and went. “Of course, I don’t mean to patronize. Just that you seemed so uncertain only a couple of days ago. I’m curious as to what made you change your mind.”

  “Getting to know the children better and—” she paused slightly, wanting him to take note “—realizing that they needed someone to advocate for them. To ensure that their full legal rights and benefits now and in the future would be a priority.”

  “I hope you’re not suggesting that I would act otherwise on their behalf, as executor of their parents’ will?”

  Tess chose her words carefully. She still needed the man’s assistance. “I’d never suggest that. Just that I know how busy you are and I also know that in a situation like this there really can’t be a substitute for family. Can there?” she asked, flashing her sweetest smile.

  “No, of course not. I imagine it’ll be a simple matter, considering you are next of kin and there is no other applicant for their guardianship at this time. Very well, I’ll find out what I can and get back to you.” He rose from his chair, indicating the meeting was over.

  Tess stood up, too, saying, “Thank you.”

  She moved toward the door, but halted when he added, “You may want to give the guardianship more thought. As well, I’d like an answer on the house sale as soon as possible, but I’m willing to give you a couple more days.” He joined her at the door, standing close enough for a strong whiff of his cologne to fall over her. He lowered his voice and said, “I don’t think I need to remind you that, as sole executor of the will, I’m giving you this extra time as a courtesy.”

  There was nothing in his eyes or face that held the slightest hint of a threat, but Tess felt one all the same. She shivered inwardly at the idea that Nick and Molly’s welfare might have rested with the man. “I appreciate that very much, Mr. Walker.”

  Her response resurrected his charm. “Please, whatever happened to Jed?” He extended a hand and when she placed hers in it, placed his other hand on top.

  She had an uncomfortable sense of being trapped, though the smile on his face was warm and reassuring. She also knew there was no way she was going to repeat his name. “Thanks again,” she said, extricating her hand.

  Tess reached for the doorknob behind her and spun around as she opened it. By the time she got to the elevator, the trembling in her arms and legs had eased, leaving behind the echo of something he had said. Something that she hoped wasn’t significant.

  There is no other applicant for their guardianship at this time. At this time?

  FRIDAY ROLLED AROUND eventually, though Tess had to admit she thought it never would. The big decision she had to make that day was how much extra vacation time she’d need. Her two weeks in Boulder were already up and as far as her secretary was concerned, Tess was due back in the office Monday morning. The strange thing was, she no longer felt a strong urge to get back to work. The merger, her clients, even her colleagues—all had been slowly replaced by her life in Boulder. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how busy her days there had been. She decided to telephone Carrie right away, before yet another crisis demanded her attention.

  “Another week, then?” Carrie asked.

  “Unless you think that’ll be a problem. I know I’ve got the time.”

  “I’ll pass it by your boss. How’re the kids doing?”

  “Great!” Tess felt herself warm up inside and filled in Carrie on the latest, including Molly’s planned birthday party.

  “Jeez, I can’t picture you doing all that stuff,” she said.

  A twinge of annoyance surfaced at that. “You’d be surprised at what I can do. Anyway, I’m managing just fine.”

  “That’s great, Tess. If there’s a problem with the extra week, I’ll get back to you. Otherwise, enjoy!”

  “Okay. By the way, how’re things in the office? The merger went through okay, I know, but any fallout about it yet?”

  “Nope. You may not want to believe this, Tess, but absolutely nothing has changed or happened here since you left. Same old-same old, as the expression goes.” There was a pause, then, “Will you be bringing back the kids with you?”

  The question of the week, Tess was thinking. “I’ll keep you posted on that.”

  Another pause. “They’re nice kids. You’d be great for them. And they’d…”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Just, I hope everything works out. Let me know when you’re coming home.”

  After Tess hung up, she went over Carrie’s words. She had a feeling what Carrie had intended to say was they’d be good for you. Carrie was right. That’s why she’d made the decision she had. But after her visit to Walker, Tess decided not to mention the guardianship to the children until she learned more about how difficult or easy her application would be. They’d been through enough and there was no point in raising their hopes until it was all worked out.

  The children—especially Molly—were excited about spending the weekend at the ranch. Nick seemed more than a little concerned about what Tess would be doing. Did he suspect she would be getting together with Alec, she wondered?

  They reached the Malone ranch just before five and because she wasn’t due at Alec’s until seven, Tess accepted Karen’s invitation for coffee. The children went upstairs to unpack while Tess followed Karen into the kitchen, where delicious aromas were wafting from the stove.

  “My famous chicken-and-rice casserole,” Karen said at Tess’s appreciative sounds. “Nothing special, but it’s good. I thought I’d send a container back with you.” She caught Tess’s eye and grinned. “Alec told me he was cooking dinner for you tonight, but knowing him, dinner could likely be served sometime tomorrow morning.” Then she clapped a hand to her mouth. “Gee, I hope that didn’t sound the way I thought it did. I meant that he tends to overdo things and gets caught up in all these elaborate preparations so his meals end up on plates much later.”

  Tess could think of nothing to say, so smiled.

  Her silence had little effect on Karen. “You know,” she said, pouring water into the coffeemaker, “I’ve noticed a change in Alec over the past couple of weeks. Ken says it’s all my imagination, but I don’t think men are very intuitive about these things. Do you?” She looked across the room at Tess.

  Tess gave a half shrug and murmured, “Perhaps.”

  “I mean,” Karen continued, “he’s lost some of that tightness around his jaw. I call it his clenched-teeth look. Ever notice it?”

  Tess thought she had, but gave an evasive “Hmmm.”

  “And those little lines around his eyes? They seemed t
o just sprout after he got back and Sherry took off. Not that I think he was madly in love with her. But no one had ever dropped him before and he was feeling very vulnerable after his stint in Kosovo.”

  “Why did she leave him?”

  Karen sat down next to Tess. “I think she was looking forward to being the wife of a career military man. Alec had just been promoted and he was getting a lot of offers—even one from Washington—when he returned to the States. When he decided to resign and took the job with Child Protective Services, Sherry had a fit. No way was she going to be the wife of a lowly social worker in Boulder, Colorado.”

  Tess sensed the bitterness in Karen’s voice came from her protective loyalty to her brother. She wondered what it would be like to have that sibling bond but realized almost at once that she was developing something similar, with Nick and Molly. It was a satisfying feeling.

  There was a brief silence while the coffee was poured. Then Karen said, “I don’t suppose you’re thinking of staying on in Boulder for a while longer?”

  Tess took a moment to respond, uncertain of the subtext in Karen’s question. She didn’t have to reply, because the other woman blurted, “Alec would kill me if he heard me pumping you for info like that. I…uh just think you might be the reason for his new interest in life.” She gave an embarrassed laugh. “’Course, I could be way off base. It’s just a feeling I have. It would be great if you hung around a bit longer—got to know the place and…and—”

  “Alec.” Tess smiled.

  “Yes, poor man. He needs a life so badly.”

  Don’t we all, Tess thought. Fortunately, she was saved from further exploration of her future plans by the arrival of Ken, through the back door leading into the kitchen. He greeted Tess warmly, saying how happy he was that Nick had offered to come and help that weekend.

  “He’s a strong boy, with a lot of potential,” he said. “Seems to know instinctively what to do, which is a far cry from some of the young help I’ve had.”

  Tess felt pleased, as if she personally had had something to do with Nick’s character.

  “He was telling me how much you all enjoyed the camping last weekend.”

  That did surprise Tess. But the comment reminded her of something. “Nick thinks the land where we camped belongs to his father. Would you happen to know anything about land ownership in this area? Alec said the site isn’t far from the Malone property.”

  Ken thought, then said, “I’ve got a map somewhere. Be right back.”

  “More coffee?” Karen asked.

  “No, thanks. As soon as Ken shows me the map, I’ll have to get going.”

  “Okay. I’ve put some of the casserole in this aluminum pan. If Alec has dinner all ready, you guys can always eat it tomorrow or he can freeze it. I’m going to see how the kids are doing.”

  Tess thanked her, touched by her thoughtfulness. When Ken returned, she noticed that the map he was unrolling on the kitchen table was a similar type and size to the one Jed Walker had had on his desk that afternoon. Ken set the empty coffee mugs, sugar jar and milk jug on the four corners of the map.

  “Okay,” he said. “Here’s our place,” he pointed with a thick, callused finger, “and this area northwest of us all the way to the highway leading to Estes is privately owned. This bit here,” he circled a section adjacent to the Malone land, “was up for sale about two years ago. Karen and I wanted to buy it but we’d just found out I had MS so we were afraid to dig into our savings. Someone did buy it, I heard, but it was all hush-hush. Some kind of numbered account or such. People were expecting the land to be developed right away, but it hasn’t been yet.”

  He studied the map, then looked at Tess, peering over his shoulder. “The campsite I think you’re referring to, the site Nick thinks his parents owned, is right here.” He enclosed that area with a square. “Looking at this map now, I bet the reason that middle section hasn’t been developed is because there’s no main road access to it. And it would cost a fortune to build a road. But this part,” he said, jabbing at the square he’d drawn on the map, “could be worth a lot.”

  “I’m not sure I get what you mean.”

  “The land between my place and the campsite is all on its own. No road access and therefore, no good for development unless—”

  “That person also owned the campsite area.”

  “Exactly. Or our land.” He stared thoughtfully at the map, then at Tess. “Well, very interesting. So we need to find out who owns the middle section and confirm if the Wheatons own the camping spot.”

  “I think Alec is looking into that,” she said.

  “Is he?” His expression grew even more pensive. Finally, he rolled up the map and said, “Good. Let me know what you find out.” He started to leave the kitchen when he thought of something else. “If I were you, Tess, I wouldn’t mention any of this to Jed Walker. Karen told me he’s the executor for the Wheaton estate. Has he said anything about the Wheatons owning that land?”

  “He said he didn’t know anything about it.”

  Ken’s laugh was more of a bark. “Keep in mind that when the bank forecloses on us, Walker will own our ranch. Personally, I don’t trust the guy. But I don’t want to prejudice you against him,” he said.

  No problem there, she was thinking.

  “I mean, don’t feel you have to tell him everything just ’cause he’s the family lawyer and all.”

  Tess mulled over Ken’s warning all the way back into town but by the time she found the area where Alec lived, near the University of Colorado campus, her thoughts were definitely elsewhere.

  “SO, WHAT do you think?”

  “I thought I was supposed to ask that question.”

  Tess caught his grin and smiled back. “I meant about the land thing.”

  “And I meant about my place. Like it?”

  She gave the room another 360 degrees and came back to his smile.

  “It’s very nice. Very…” she searched for the right word.

  “Not preppy. Please don’t say preppy.”

  “Relax. Definitely not preppy. Rather…um…spartan, I think.”

  “That’s what Karen’s always saying—liven it up. Here, where’s your wineglass?”

  Tess held up her empty glass. “Will we be eating soon?” she asked. “If not, then maybe I’ll wait for seconds.”

  He paused, wine bottle poised midair. “Uh, sure.”

  She couldn’t resist glancing to her left where the kitchen counter was visible through the doorway. When she’d arrived half an hour ago, Alec had been chopping vegetables. Their colorful, unchopped remnants still littered the counter.

  “Maybe the casserole tonight, after all,” he quickly said, noticing where her eyes had drifted.

  When she laughed, he set the wine bottle down and held out his hand to her. Tess reached out hers, not certain what he was doing. But when he gently tugged her to her feet, she had a pretty good idea. The casserole, she was thinking, would have to wait, too.

  His smile turned serious, his eyes intent. His fingers ran along the back of her hand and up her bare arm. Tess shivered.

  “Cold?” he whispered, drawing her closer.

  “No,” she said, her answer brushing against his ear as he lowered his head. His mouth found the nape of her neck and she trembled again. This time, from the explosion of heat that soared upward. She clung to him, pressing as much of her body against him as possible. When his mouth caressed a line from the base of her throat, up her neck and onto her mouth, Tess was certain that every nerve cell in her body was afire.

  But his lips abruptly broke free and he pulled his head back to look down at her. “I’ve a feeling this may not be a good idea right now,” he said, his voice low and husky. “At least, until we’ve resolved certain things. You know, about the children.”

  Tess felt the adrenaline surge from his kiss go into a tailspin. She knew what he was referring to, but the nerve centers in her body weren’t listening to reason. And how could she bl
urt out the decision she’d made when she hadn’t told the kids yet? She moved away from him, averting her face. Exposing her disappointment would be too humiliating.

  His hand reached out for her arm, but she gently brushed it aside. “You’re absolutely right, Alec,” she said. Her voice, unsteady, gained strength as she went on. “And now that we’ve had appetizers,” she laughed, wanting him to believe how lightly she was taking his rejection, “shall we dig into that amazing casserole your sister made?”

  DINNER WASN’T the romantic experience Tess had anticipated, in spite of the candles and Alec’s attempts at lightheartedness. His humorous accounts of events at work fell flat and after their small talk about the meal and the virtuous attributes of Alec’s sister, they took their coffee and dessert to the sofa area.

  “Look,” Alec said. “I had hoped you’d be spending the night but I realize now how presumptuous that was. I’m sorry. I’ve been aware of an attraction between us for the past week—certainly since the camping trip. But I’ve let my feelings for you get ahead of what’s best for the kids. It won’t be good for them if we…well, complicate things right now by starting up a relationship.” He forked his fingers through his hair. “Do you know what I mean?”

  Tess nodded. The obvious misery in his face tugged at her, despite the letdown she’d been feeling through dinner. He was right, of course, and she, too, had allowed the strong physical attraction to take over. For that was exactly the problem, she realized. It had been such a long time that any man had stirred her as he had when he touched her that she’d lost all sense of her priorities.

  “I do,” she said briskly. “And I should be leaving soon.” She set her half-eaten piece of cheesecake on the coffee table.

  “I can drive you back.”

  “What would be the point? Then you or I would be without a car tomorrow. I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

  He looked unsure. “I don’t like the thought of your driving home alone at this time of night.”