Keeping Her Baby's Secret

by Raye Morgan

  He shrugged. “Like I said, I’ll do what I have to.”

  The waitress arriving with the salad she’d ordered saved Diana from having to respond to that. She drew back and sat up straight and looked across the table at Cam. She couldn’t help but love him for his concern for her and her baby. Still, that didn’t change anything.

  But this was no place to have that argument. As soon as the waitress was gone again, she picked up a fork and began to pick at her food, and meanwhile, she changed the subject.

  “Your mother was on my answering machine twice in the last few days. I’m going to have to call her back eventually. What am I going to say to her?”

  His wide mouth twisted. “A warm hello would be nice, I suppose.”

  She studied his face. “Have you told her yet? Does she understand that you aren’t going to be doing the parties?”

  Leaning back, he sighed and looked troubled. “I have told her as firmly as I can muster. What she understands and doesn’t understand is another matter.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning she is so deep in denial…” He straightened and rubbed his neck. “Well, I did try to have it out with her yesterday. I’m afraid there was a little yelling.”

  She put down her fork and stared at him. “You didn’t yell at your mother!”

  He grimaced. “Just a little bit.” He definitely looked sheepish. “She drives me crazy. She just won’t face reality.”

  “Didn’t you show her some documentation? Facts and figures? Spreadsheets and accounting forms?”

  He nodded. “Even an eviction notice.”

  “What?”

  “For one of our warehouses in Sacramento.”

  “Oh.” She sagged with relief. The picture of Mrs. Van Kirk being carted out of her home by the sheriff with an eviction notice was a nightmare scenario she didn’t want to see played out in the flesh.

  “But I showed it to her to try to convince her of how serious this is. Well, she got a little hysterical and ran out to go to her precious rose garden and fell right down the garden steps.”

  Diana’s hands went to her face in horror. “No! How is she?”

  Cam was looking so guilty, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, even though she knew his mother probably deserved the pity more.

  “She was pretty shaken up.” He sighed with regret. “And she broke her ankle.”

  “What?”

  He shook his head, his eyes filled with tragedy. “All my fault, of course.”

  “Oh, poor thing.”

  He gave her a halfhearted smile. “I knew you would understand.”

  “Not you! Your mother.” But she knew he was only trying to lighten the mood with a joke, and his quick grin confirmed that.

  “Don’t worry. It’s a hairline fracture sort of thing. The orthopedist said she’ll be better in about a month and good as new by Christmas.”

  Diana groaned. “She’s got a hard row to hoe,” she said. “It’s hard sitting still when you’re used to being busy all the time.”

  “True.” He looked at her speculatively. “So now we’re reversing a lot of plans,” he went on more seriously. “We’re firing a lot of the workmen she hired and we’re letting the caterer from San Francisco go. And the rose expert. And the barbecue center will have to wait for flusher times.”

  Diana sighed, shaking her head. “I suppose you’ll be laying off the floral stylist as well, won’t you?”

  “Is that what you call yourself?”

  She nodded.

  He grinned without much humor. “Yup, she’s a goner.”

  Diana sighed again. “Your mother’s been my best account.”

  He gave her his finest cynical sneer. “Such are the ripples in a stagnating pond.”

  She laughed. “Now that’s just downright silly,” she told him. “The Van Kirks are not stagnating. I thought you were going to see to that.”

  He nodded, his eyes brimming with laughter. That was one thing he loved about her, she seemed to get his silly jokes and actually to enjoy them. Not many people could say that.

  “I’m doing what I can. I still can’t say we’ve saved the house. But I’m working at it.”

  “I’m sure you are.” She gave him a quelling look. “Now if you would just buckle down and marry some rich gal, all would be forgiven.”

  “Right.”

  “But if you’re not going to have the parties…”

  He frowned uncomfortably. “Well, about the parties…”

  “Yes?” she said, one eyebrow arched in surprise.

  He made a face. “We’re sort of compromising.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “She was so devastated, I had to give her something. So there will just be one party. A simple party. No fancy chefs, no rose experts.”

  “I see.”

  “Mother, Janey and Rosa are going to have to do most of the work themselves.” He hesitated, narrowed his eyes and gazed at her as though evaluating her mood. “But since she’s flat on her back right now, we need a coordinator to take charge.”

  Diana’s head rose. Why hadn’t she seen this coming from farther away? She knew she was staring at him like a deer in the headlights. She was thinking as fast as she could to find excuses for saying no to him. She had to say no. A yes would be emotional suicide.

  She could just imagine what it would be like, watching beautiful young, rich ladies from the foremost families in the foothills, dressed in skimpy summer frocks, vying for Cam’s attention while she was dressed like a French maid, passing the crudités. No, thank you!

  “Janey could do it,” she suggested quickly.

  “Sure she could,” he said out of the corner of his mouth. “If we want a disaster to rival the Titanic. She’ll undermine it all she can.” He gave her a significant look. “There’s only one person Mother would trust to handle this.”

  She stared back at him. “You can’t be thinking what I’m thinking you’re thinking.”

  He shrugged and looked hopeful. “Why not?”

  Slowly she began to shake her head. “You couldn’t pay me enough. And anyway, didn’t you say you were broke?”

  He nodded. “That’s why I’m hoping you’ll do it for free.”

  She laughed aloud at his raw audacity. “There is no way I’m going to do this at all. Save your breath, Mr. Van Kirk. I refuse to have anything to do with the whole thing.”

  This could have gone on and on if it hadn’t been for the arrival of Diana’s visitor. He stopped by their booth, a tall man, handsome in a gaunt way, just starting to gray at the temples, and dressed in an expensive suit. Cam hated him on sight.

  “Hello, Diana,” he said, smiling coolly.

  “Oh.” Diana had to readjust quickly. “Hi, Ben. Uh, this is my friend Cam.” She threw out a pointed glance. “He was just leaving.”

  Cam didn’t budge. He made a show of looking at his watch. “Actually I think I’ve got a little more time.”

  “Cam!”

  “And I’ve got a sudden yen for a piece of Dorry’s apple pie. It’s been ten years, but I can still remember that delicate crust she used to make.”

  She glared at him, and so did Ben, but Cam smiled sunnily and went on as though he hadn’t noticed the bad vibes, chattering about pie and apples and good old home cookin’.

  “Cam,” Diana said firmly at last. “Ben and I have something personal to discuss. You’ve got to go.”

  He gazed at her intently. “Are you sure?” he said softly, searching her eyes. He wanted to make certain she really meant it, that she didn’t want him to stay and act as a buffer for her.

  She gave him a look that should have warned him that she was losing patience. “I’m sure. Please go.”

  He rose reluctantly and flashed her friend a sharp look, just to let him know he was going to be keeping an eye on him.

  “Okay,” he said. “I’ll be over there in the corner, eating apple pie. In case you need me.”

  She closed h
er eyes and waited for him to go. Ben looked bored. Cam went.

  But he didn’t go far and he kept up his survey of what was going on from a pretty good vantagepoint. They were talking earnestly, leaning so that their heads were close together over the table. It tore him up to watch them. If this was really the guy…

  Their meeting didn’t last very long. Ben pulled out a portfolio of papers that he showed her, but he packed most of them away again and was obviously preparing to leave. Cam felt a sense of relief. There had been nothing warm between them, none of the sort of gestures people who had an emotional bond might display. If there had ever been anything between them, he would say it was pretty much dead now. In fact, Diana looked almost hostile as Ben rose to leave. And as soon as he was out of sight, she looked up and nodded to Cam, as though to beckon to him. He was already up and moving and he went to her immediately, sliding in where the other man had been sitting.

  “I need your help,” she said without preamble. She had one piece of paper that he’d left behind sitting on the table in front of her. “Because I don’t know how to do this.”

  “Do what?” he asked. “Sue the guy? Charge him with abandonment? Get some money out of him for child care?”

  She was shaking her head, wearing a puzzled frown. “What are you talking about?”

  He blinked. “That wasn’t the father of your baby?”

  She threw her head back. “Oh, Cam, for heaven’s sake! Ben is my cousin. I told you about him.”

  “You did?” Her cousin. It figured. The body language had been all wrong for lovers, or even current enemies who were past lovers. He should have known. Feeling a little foolish, but even more relieved, he took a deep breath and calmed down. “Oh. Maybe you did.”

  “Never mind that,” she said, staring down at the paper. “Here’s the deal. Ben’s a lawyer. He always seems to be looking for a weak spot to exploit.” She looked up, wrinkling her nose. “You know what I mean? Our uncle Luke, my father’s older brother, died last week. I met him a few times years ago and he came to my father’s funeral. But to my shock, he had a little piece of land in the mountains and he left it to Ben and me.”

  “The two of you together?” That could be a seemingly lucky break but with a sword of Damocles hanging over it.

  “Yes. I assume he thought we would sell it and share the revenue or one would buy the other out. Whatever.”

  “Okay. What’s the problem?”

  She frowned, chewing her lip. “Ben wants to buy me out. But…” She made a face, thought for a moment, then leaned closer, speaking softly. “I know this is going to sound really horrible, but I don’t trust him. Everything he says seems logical enough and it sounds good and all. But, well, he tried to find a way to get a piece of my lake property when my dad died. He wasn’t all that open about it, but I could tell he was snooping around here for a purpose. And now I just can’t help but wonder…”

  “Better safe than sorry,” he agreed. “Where’s the land?”

  “That’s just it. He seems a little vague about that. He does say it’s out in the sticks, far from any amenities and there seem to be some encumbrances on it that are going to make things difficult. I did get something in the mail myself, something from my uncle’s lawyer, but I couldn’t make heads nor tails of it and when I tried to call him, the number didn’t seem to work. Ben gave me this paper with the parcel number and coordinates, but as far as a map on how to get there, he was very unhelpful.”

  “Has he been out to take a look at it?”

  “He says he has. He says it’s pretty barren. Flatland with not even a lot of vegetation. No views. Nothing.”

  Cam nodded, thinking that over. “So you’re a bit skeptical.”

  She made a face. “I hate to say it, but yes. Color me skeptical.”

  “And you would like to go take a look for yourself.” He nodded again, assessing things. “I think that’s good. You need to know a little more about where it is and what condition it’s in before you make any drastic moves.”

  “I think so,” she said. “For all I know, it’s a garden paradise or a great site to build a house on.” She squinted at him hopefully. “I just thought you might know what state or county agencies to go to and things like that. Or maybe you have connections in the Forest Service?”

  “I know some people who might be able to help.” He looked over the paper for another moment. “Can I take this with me?”

  “Of course.”

  “Good.” He folded it and put it in his pocket, then gave her a sardonic look. “I’m going to have to pull some strings, you know. I might have to call in some favors. Use my family’s influence.” His smile was suddenly wicked. “And after I’ve done all that, going out of my way, putting my reputation on the line, going all out to do something for you…” His shrug was teasingly significant. “Well, I’m sure you’re going to be more open to doing a favor for me in return.”

  It was obvious he was still trying to get her to manage the party for his mother—the last thing on earth she wanted to do.

  “Cam!”

  His wide mouth turned down at the corners for just a moment. “Just think about it. That’s all I ask.” He patted the paper in his pocket. “I’ll get back to you on this.” His smile returned to being warm and natural. “You’ll trust me?”

  “Of course I’ll trust you.” She smiled back at him. It just wasn’t possible not to. “Now go away,” she said.

  Actually he was late for a meeting at the mayor’s office, so for once he obeyed her. But first, he leaned forward, caught her hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing her palm.

  “See you later,” he promised, giving her a melting look.

  She shook her head, half-laughing at him as he slid out and left the café. But as she looked around the room at the glances she was getting, her face got very hot. It was obvious a lot of people had witnessed that hand kissing thing and could hardly wait to get on their cell phones to tell their friends what they’d seen.

  Small towns!

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  IT ONLY took Cam two days to get all the information Diana needed to make a trek up to see the land. She was thrilled when he called her with the news. So now she’d fed the kitten and watered her flower garden and dressed herself in hiking clothes and was ready to go. This was totally an adventure and she was looking forward to it. She just had to wait for Cam to show up with the map of the location of where she was going.

  She knew she was not acting according to plan. She’d sworn she was going to stay away from Cam—far, far away. She wasn’t going to risk falling back into the patterns that had ruled her life for so long. She was a grown woman with a child on the way and she couldn’t afford to act like a lovesick teenager.

  She knew asking for his help put her in a weaker position in refusing to help his mother, and yet, she’d done it anyway. Somehow Cam kept weaving his way through the threads of her days, finding a reason here, an excuse there, and before she knew it, she was almost back in the fold, tangled in his life, loving him again, unable to imagine a future without him.

  It had to stop. Right after he gave her the map. She had the grace to laugh out loud as she had that thought. What a ridiculous fool she was!

  She heard his car and hurried out to meet him, hoping to get the map and send him on his way. He got out of the car and leaned against it, watching her come toward him with a look of pleasure on his face. She couldn’t help but smile.

  “Oh, Cam, don’t do that.”

  “Don’t do what? Enjoy you?”

  She gave him a look. “Do you have the map?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  She looked at him. Both hands were empty.

  “Where is it?”

  “In the car.”

  “Oh.” She tried to look around him. “May I have it?”

  “No.”

  She stared at him. “What do you mean?”

  His eyes sparkled in the sun. “I’m the keeper of the map. I’ll h
andle all navigational duties.”

  She put her hands on her hips and gave him a mock glare. “That’ll be a little hard to do, since you’ll be here and I’ll be the one approaching the site,” she said crisply.

  “Au contraire,” he countered smugly. “Since we’re going in my car…”

  “No way!”

  “And I have the picnic prepared by Rosa this very morning and packed away in an awesome picnic basket, with accoutrements for two.”

  She drew in a quick breath. “I never said you could come with me.”

  He gave her the patented lopsided grin that so often had young ladies swooning in the aisles. “That’s right, you never did. But I’m coming anyway.”

  Fighting this was probably a losing battle and not worth the effort as it stood, but still, she frowned, trying to think of a way out. “Can I just see the map?”

  “Sure. But I’ll hold it.”

  She groaned at his lack of trust, but that was forgotten as he spread out the map and showed her where her property lay.

  “Ohmigosh, that’s really far from any main roads. I thought it would be closer to Lake Tahoe.”

  “It’s uncharted territory. Just be glad it’s not winter. Think about the Donner party.”

  She shuddered. “No, thanks.” She frowned at him, trying to be fierce. “Now if you’ll just give me the map.”

  He smiled and dropped a sudden, unexpected kiss on her forehead. “I go with the map. Take it or leave it.”

  She shook her head, but a slight smile was teasing her lips and her heart was beating just a little faster. “What a bully you are.”

  “Guilty as charged. Let’s go.”

  They went.

  It was a lovely drive through the foothills and then into the taller mountains. They passed through small idyllic towns on the way, and little enclaves of farm or ranch houses. Cows, horses and alpacas seemed to be grazing everywhere on the still-green grasses. They talked and laughed and pointed out the sights, and all in all, had a very good time. The final segment was a fifteen-mile ride on a dirt road and that was another story. For almost half an hour, they were bouncing so hard, conversation was impossible.