by Lynn Patrick
He waved back with a smile. “Camp must be over.” And he hadn’t yet had a chance to talk to Heather.
Taylor also appeared, holding something that got Addison’s interest. Both twins scurried away.
“Those children are so darling,” said Cora. “I can’t tell them apart, though.”
“Heather says there’s some difference in facial structure.” Plus, Taylor was usually frowning when she looked at him, Rick thought, whereas Addison was all smiles.
“You told Heather Clarke about the tunnels—and about the intruder, I assume?”
“I had to.” Rick gave the housekeeper a half-truth. “She found one of the entrances to the tunnels when her daughter was hiding in it.” He assured the older woman, saying, “She won’t talk about it to anyone.”
“Are you two dating?”
Were they? “Uh, well...we’ve gone out.” At least that evening at the cheese store. They’d also shared an experience when they got shut in the tunnels the other night.
“I don’t mean to pry,” said Cora.
“That’s okay.”
“She seems like a nice young woman.”
“She’s a good person,” he agreed. And a very pretty one. And he definitely looked forward to “going out” with her whenever he got the chance.
Cora turned. “Well, I’d better get back to the kitchen. I have to go over a few things with the staff before dinner.”
Nodding, Rick left the house, intending to find Heather.
Addison came running up to him. “Look!” She slid a cell phone out of her pocket. “See what I got? And Mommy’s gonna get me a green cover for it!”
Glad that Heather had taken his advice, Rick said, “Very nice.”
“Mommy programmed your number in here. Can I call you?”
“Sure.” He knelt down and examined the phone’s directory. “If you get lost or get into trouble, you call me, okay?”
“Call you or call Mommy?”
“How about both?”
“Okay.” When Addison saw Taylor suddenly appear, she yelled, “Come and have Rick check your phone.”
“Mommy already checked it.” Taylor gave him a slanted look before running the opposite direction.
Would Taylor ever like him? Rick wondered.
He asked Addison, “How’s Kirby?”
“He’s real-l-l good. He likes to live with us.”
“I’ll bet he does.”
“He has to stay in a cage when we’re gone. I hope he doesn’t feel bad.”
“I don’t think a dog minds being kenneled,” Rick said. “Plus you don’t want him eating the couch while you’re away.”
Addison laughed. “He wouldn’t eat a couch!”
“No, but he might chew on it.”
“Kirby has lots of toys to chew on.”
“I’m sure.” What a chatty little urchin she was. Grinning, he gave the phone back and stood up. “Let’s go see your mom.”
He would ask Heather how things were going and see if he could help. And maybe there’d be an opportunity to suggest they do something more interesting together. Something away from work.
Addison skipped along beside him. “Do you like Mommy?”
“Sure.”
“You like her a lot?”
He stared down at the intent little face. “Well, sure I do...”
Addison sounded so earnest when she said, “Mommy needs a date.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Rick choked back a laugh. He had a feeling Heather wouldn’t want her daughter matchmaking. If she found out, he imagined she would flush with embarrassment.
“That’s what Aunt Kristen said. For the wedding.”
“The wedding, huh.” Rick had just been wondering about the opportunity of seeing Heather and now here it was...
“Aunt Kristen and Uncle Alex are getting married,” Addison explained. “They love each other. And Mommy is the matron of...” She frowned.
“Honor?”
Addison nodded. “But she needs a date and doesn’t have one.”
Well, she did now. Unless she objected.
“When is the wedding?”
“On Saturday.” Addison gave him a pleading expression. “Will you take her...ple-e-ease!”
Though he wished Heather had asked him, Rick wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity. “Sure I will.”
“’Kay, I’ll tell her right now!”
“Whoa!” Before the little girl darted away, Rick grasped her shoulder. “Let’s slow down a bit.” He didn’t think Addison telling Heather was the best approach. “Let me talk to her, all right?”
“Promise?”
“I promise. You have to save me a dance, though.”
“Yay!” Addison jumped up and down. “I love dancing!”
“I bet you do.”
He watched her run off to join her twin, who was playing under one of the big trees on the lawn.
He thought about it for a moment. Heather had known about the wedding for quite some time. Maybe she thought it was too soon to ask him to a family event. For a moment, he wondered if he should ask to escort her, but his gut overrode his reservations. Any excuse to spend personal time with Heather was a good thing. Plus he had a little girl’s expectations to live up to.
He looked around and saw that Heather and Tyrone were some yards away, standing back to admire their latest handiwork—another stone barrier for plantings.
“Hey,” Rick said as he joined them.
“Hey, yourself, Mr. Terminator,” joked Tyrone.
Heather merely gave him a big smile.
“About finished here today?” Rick asked.
Heather nodded. “We’re ready to pack up. Tyrone, could you make sure the tools are put away?”
Tyrone agreed to do so, which meant Rick and Heather were left conveniently alone.
Seeing his chance, Rick took it. “I hear you’re going to be matron of honor at your sister’s wedding on Saturday.”
Heather gave him a wary look. “Where did you hear that?”
“From Addison.”
“She’s quite a chatterbox.”
“She does like to talk,” Rick agreed, aiming the conversation in the right direction. “I’ll bet she’ll be popular when she gets older.”
“She’s popular now. Other kids give her their phone numbers.”
“Uh-oh, you’d better be careful with that cell phone.”
Heather nodded. “I know.”
“She’s a regular little social director. She asked me to escort you to the wedding.”
Heather choked out, “She...what?”
“Of course I said yes.”
“Uh...”
Rick grinned because, just as he knew she would, she blushed, which made her look adorable. Though she hadn’t agreed, he didn’t sense that she was displeased. He wasn’t about to let her consider the offer too long.
“What time do you want me to pick you guys up?” he asked smoothly. “As matron of honor, I assume you have to be there early.”
He could sense her racing thoughts, could see a hint of panic in her expression before she quickly covered.
“Well, um, the ceremony is at a church in Sparrow Lake, and the reception is at my aunt’s house.” Then Heather gave him an intent look. “Are you sure you want to do this? There’ll be a lot of family there.”
“You mean you’ll be ashamed to be seen with me?” he joked.
She laughed. “Of course I wouldn’t be ashamed. But...you know how family things are.”
“No, not really. But I’ve been to weddings.” He winked. “I clean up pretty good.”
“No one is questioning your presentability,” she told him, t
hen admitted with a smile, “Actually, I would really appreciate your company.”
And, as she gave him the pertinent details, he realized that’s what she’d wanted all along, only...
For some reason, she was afraid.
Normally Heather Clarke was a take-charge kind of woman, but her nerves had gotten the better of her. Was she beginning to realize she liked him as much as he did her?
Rick hoped so.
After their experience in the tunnels together, he had a new appreciation of the woman. She was strong and caring, and she’d shouldered tremendous responsibility for one so young. He was not only attracted to her, he admired her.
Rick was beginning to think that despite his own initial reservations, they just might be perfect together.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE STRESS OF last-minute wedding preparations overrode any nervousness Heather might have about bringing Rick as her date. On the positive side, his presence meant that relatives would probably not talk about her late husband or ask, with pity, how she was doing. On the negative side, they were sure to make assumptions that were not true.
Such as she and Rick being a real “item.”
They might be a potential item, but Heather didn’t want to let her own expectations get out of hand because Rick hadn’t asked her out on his own.
“I’m so glad you changed your mind about an escort,” Kristen told Heather at the back of the church as everyone was being seated inside. She gave her a big hug. “And those flower girls are absolutely adorable.”
“Yes, they are,” Heather said. The twins had even gotten to dress in their favorite colors, pale green for Addison and lavender for Taylor. “Addison is the one responsible for my having a date. It was really cute how she prompted Rick into volunteering, but from now on, I’m going to be careful what I say in front of the twins.”
They laughed together and hugged again.
The music drifting out to them told Heather it was time. Brian appeared, looking more grown-up than ever in his tuxedo. Since their father had been gone for many years, Brian would give away the bride.
“Ready, sis?” He held out his arm.
Kristen took it, saying, “Absolutely.”
The church was a riot of pastel hues with magnificent sprays of summer flowers. The ladies of the wedding party resembled blooms themselves as they walked down the aisle—Heather in apricot, Priscilla in pale green, Gloria in melon, and Shara in lavender. Heather was so proud of the twins, who carried out their flower-girl duties without a hitch. Looking solemn as they paced down the aisle strewing rose petals from little baskets, the girls smiled sweetly when they reached the altar and the guests beamed. The twins even managed to behave through the ceremony, which ended with tear-inducing vows and a romantic kiss between Kristen and her handsome groom, Alex.
A few minutes later, everyone was outside, throwing birdseed on the bride and groom as they ran to their chauffeured town car.
Rick joined her and whispered, “You’re the prettiest woman here today.”
Heather said, “You mean after the bride, of course.”
“Of course.”
But he was grinning at her, making her neck grow warm. She’d almost forgotten how nice it was to have a man compliment her.
Rick was definitely eye candy himself today—a tall, chiseled and slightly mysterious-looking man who cut quite a figure in his dark crisp suit, dark shirt and tie. Other women were giving him appreciative looks.
Heather’s mother, having flown in from California, fought the crowd to get to them. Having already spent some time with her daughter before the ceremony, she looked to Rick.
“Well, hello. I’m Heather’s mom, Isabel, and this is my husband, Mike.”
“Mom, this is my date, Rick.”
“I can see where Heather gets her good looks,” Rick said, first taking her hand, then Mike’s.
Isabel smiled, looking much prettier and happier than Heather had ever seen her. Her second marriage had obviously given her a new lease on life.
Realizing the bride and groom were gone and guests were getting in their cars, Heather said, “We should get going. Where are the girls?” She spotted the twins with some other kids. “Girls, c’mon, we’re leaving for the reception at Aunt Margaret’s now!”
“Yay!” Addison yelled as she came running. “I wanna dance!”
“I want cake!” Taylor added.
Both twins had birdseed sprinkled in their hair and on their dresses.
“Everyone will have cake after we eat the rest of the meal,” Heather told them, flicking away the birdseed from their hair. “And everyone will get to dance, too.”
They’d taken her vehicle rather than Rick’s because it already had booster seats. Rick picked up Addison and put her in the backseat, then Taylor, who was so surprised she didn’t have time to complain. The weather was beautiful, and the huge yard in back of Margaret’s large, rambling, stone house was the perfect place for the reception. To protect guests from the sun, white, flower-bedecked canopies shaded the tables. The flower sprays and arrangements from the church had been moved to the reception. Along with the yard’s own blooms and flowering shrubs, the surroundings were a gardener’s dream. Sparrow Lake glistened nearby with mirrored blue calm.
As Heather had anticipated, many relatives and friends expected introductions.
The only embarrassing incident happened with Heather’s great-uncle Fred from North Dakota. White-haired and in his late eighties, he gazed up at Rick and said, “Well, well Scott. Looking good, young man.”
“It’s not Scott, dear,” murmured Fred’s elderly wife, pulling on his arm. “This young man is Heather’s date.”
Uncle Fred looked confused even when his wife explained, “Scott was killed in action some years ago. You remember that.”
Heather jumped in with a hug for the older man. “Nice to see you again, Uncle Fred.”
Meanwhile, the twins were on the receiving end of dozens of hugs, kisses and head pats from affectionate out-of-town relatives.
Taylor finally wormed her way over to Heather. “Mommy, can we have some cake now?” she pleaded.
“Not yet. We have to eat lunch first.”
The four-tiered wedding cake, decorated with swirls and flowers, was the centerpiece of the white-linen-covered buffet tables set up on one side of the large yard. “I’ll be happy to take care of my adorable little granddaughters,” said Isabel, taking their hands to lead them off.
“Make sure they get some salad along with the other stuff,” Heather called after her. “They can sit at the children’s table.” She and Rick loaded their plates and ate at one of the nearby adult tables.
Afterward, Rick sat back, looking content. He gazed around, a smile softening his granite features. “Did you have anything to do with the landscaping here?”
“I worked quite a bit on the layout of the plant beds and shrubs for Aunt Margaret. And sometimes I help her with the upkeep. She doesn’t like to admit it, but she’s not as young or as strong as she used to be.”
“Nice work. Not that I’m an expert on landscapes, as you know.”
Rick grinned and she laughed.
“You just need a little guidance.”
“I’ll remember to ask you before I mow anything else down. So, did you always have an interest in plants?”
“I always loved nature. And being outside. I didn’t think about pursuing an outdoor career, though...well, any kind of career until a few years ago. I was eighteen when I had the twins. They were only three when I was widowed. I was busy taking care of them.”
“That must have been difficult.”
She nodded. “Not that I regret a moment of my time with my girls.”
“But it would have helped if you’d had a partner to help
raise them.” He hesitated a moment, then asked, “Were you and Scott high school sweethearts?”
Heather smiled. “Exactly. We went steady from first year of high school on.”
“A long-term relationship. It’s kind of unusual for one like that to last, I think.”
“I agree. We were atypical, at least for these days when people usually don’t commit to someone else until they’re at least out of their teens.”
“Scott must have been special.”
“We believed we were soul mates.” Many times they’d known what the other was feeling and even thinking. “I have to admit I wasn’t too happy when he went off to the military.” She added, “Not that I didn’t respect his patriotism...and practicality. He thought that a military background and training would help him for our future. At the time we didn’t have money for college for either of us.” Or the grades to get a scholarship like Kristen did or a stepfather who was willing to help out, the way Mike did with Brian.
“And you had two children to support.”
“Scott was doing well for an enlisted man,” Heather said. “He liked the men he served with. And the army gave him incentives to sign up for a second tour. I was reluctant to tell him not to go.”
“But he didn’t come back,” Rick said solemnly.
“I don’t blame the military,” Heather hurried on. “It was Scott’s choice to serve. He knew what he was getting into, and so did I.”
Rick nodded. “I know something about risks and loss.”
Their eyes met, and Heather remembered his behavior when they’d gotten locked in that hidden room in the tunnel. “I’m sure you had some close calls.”
“Like getting stuck in a cave and having the entrance blasted shut by the enemy.”
So that’s what had happened. “I can understand why you don’t like tight places.”
“Let’s not talk about such grim stuff on such a beautiful day,” Rick said, looking around. “It’s nice you’ve got so many family members and that you seem to keep in touch. I envy that.”
“You don’t see much of your family?”
“I get together with my folks about once a year. Dad retired and they live in Florida. My brother is in Washington when he’s not traveling the world.”