Daddy by Surprise

by Debra Salonen

  Kat looked for support from Libby, who smiled benignly. Either pregnancy had robbed her of any desire to meddle in her friends’ lives or she was still thinking about her grandmother. Jenna’s gaze seemed to take in every detail of the moment—the writer in her obviously intrigued.

  All three women looked at Kat expectantly. She could tell they felt she should invite him in. Stifling a sigh, she changed directions. Opening the door, she motioned him inside. “I figured from your phone message you were back in Denver.”

  “Really? Which one of the dozen or so led you to think that?” he asked just loud enough for her to hear.

  Kat’s cheeks turned uncomfortably hot.

  He let her off the hook before she could come up with a plausible lie…excuse. “I lucked out. My hotel had a cancelation, so I was able to extend my stay until today. I planned to be on the road this morning. But after talking to Brian last night, I decided it was kind of silly to buy a bike and come all this way without sticking around for at least a few days of the Sturgis Rally. He said I couldn’t get a true sense of the wild and woolly Old West until I hung out in Thunder Alley.” He shook his head and said to the other women, “I’m a total sucker for history.”

  “Thunder Alley!” Kat exclaimed, forgetting about their audience. “I thought you didn’t like crowds.”

  His gray eyes were inscrutable. Dressed all in black, he resembled his dream counterpart more than he could possibly know. “All part of the experience,” he said with a shrug of the shoulder she’d tattooed. She couldn’t see it because he was wearing a lightweight button-up shirt. “I have more vacation time saved up than I know what to do with, so since I’m here, I figured I might as well give it a try.”

  “Were you able to get a room?” Char asked, drawing Jack’s gaze away from Kat’s. “Hotels are usually booked solid months in advance.”

  “So I found out. Brian offered to rent me a room at his place for a grand, but his wife wasn’t exactly thrilled.

  He tracked me down today to tell me she kicked him out. Filed for divorce. And changed the locks on the door.”

  Kat winced. She looked over her shoulder and told the others, “He’s talking about Brian Whitlock. Lives in Nemo. I can’t remember his wife’s name. They have three little kids. The youngest is Jordie’s age. They were in T-ball together.” But a part of her mind hadn’t let go of the words a grand. He was seriously considering spending a thousand dollars for a place to sleep for a week?

  With an extra grand in the bank, she wouldn’t have to work at the bar part-time while she was student-teaching.

  As if reading her thoughts, Jack said, “I stopped by to see if you know anybody who might have a spare room to rent.”

  She made a split-second decision. Not unlike the circus owner in the book they were just talking about. Jack needed a place to stay. She needed money. Her boys could bunk together, and it wasn’t as if she was going to sleep with Jack again. That was a one-night aberration. Maybe if he were Mad Jack… She shook her head. “No. I mean, yes. I mean, you could stay here. In Jordie’s room. He and Tag can share a room.”

  He didn’t jump at the offer, and for a few stomach-sickening seconds Kat felt the same way she had when the parent who was supposed to pick her up on exchange day didn’t show. She felt unwanted.

  “Um…I appreciate the offer,” he said hesitantly. “But I think you better run that by your sons first. The older one and I got off on the wrong foot. The little guy seemed pretty friendly until…Tag, right?…elbowed him. I don’t think they’d be too happy to have me bunking here all week.”

  Kat could picture what he described. Tag called the shots and Jordie went along with whatever his big brother wanted.

  “Tough. They’re not paying the rent. I’m the grown-up. I get to make this call.”

  Libby cleared her throat and sat forward, her hands pressed together in her lap. “Um…Kat, this is none of my business, but I can’t picture Pete being okay with you letting a stranger sleep across the hall from his son.” To Jack, she said apologetically, “That’s not to imply anything about you, but Pete’s as suspicious as they come.”

  Damn. Leave it to Lib to state the obvious. Kat didn’t have the slightest doubt about Jack and she knew with every ounce of conviction in her soul that he would never be a threat to her boys. If anything, they intimidated him. He even believed them when they said she was home alone.

  But Pete was another story. When he found out, there would be hell to pay. Maybe another trip to the custody mediator. She couldn’t put Tag through that again. Nor could she afford it.

  With a sigh, she looked at Jack and said, “Unfortunately Libby’s right. I was seeing a positive balance in my checkbook when I start student-teaching, but Tag’s dad would definitely throw a hissy.” She tossed up her hands. “But I’d be happy to ask around. In fact, Lib, maybe he could rent Gran’s old cabin.”

  Libby shook her head. “The film crew has nailed down every spare bed in Sentinel Pass. And most couches, too. I told Coop the timing sucked, but they didn’t have any choice.”

  Kat shrugged. “I guess you could look in Rapid. I doubt if Spearfish would have anything. Maybe Custer.”

  The name Custer made Jack look at her.

  “I have an idea,” Char said, springing to her feet. “Let me ponder this while I help Kat serve dessert. Jack, have a chair while Libby and Jenna grill you…I mean, entertain you. Come on, pal,” she said, taking Kat’s elbow. “I’ll help make the sundaes.”

  Char hustled her into the kitchen with barely a backward glance. Jack had dropped into her chair and kicked out his feet as if he were home. The weird part was he didn’t look out of place. She didn’t know how that was possible.

  Char snapped her fingers in front of Kat’s face. “Girl, this is not like you. Goddamn. The swoo has taken your brain and replaced it with a sea sponge.”

  Kat made a face. “Shh. He’ll hear you. This is a small house,” she said in a low whisper. “Get the ice-cream bowls out of the freezer and put them on that tray. Everything is all ready to go.”

  She reached into the overhead cupboard for the ridiculously overpriced parcels of gossamer sugar. She’d had to hide them behind the tinned vegetables to keep the boys from pilfering.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked, stretching to locate the last bag.

  “That you have it bad for that guy.”

  Her hand brushed against a can of peas and she had to do a quick impersonation of a juggler to keep everything from falling out. Once the last can was back in place, she turned and faced Char. Hands on hips, she barked, “I do not.”

  The volume of her protest seemed to echo in the small room. The room where she’d sat with her nose mere inches from Jack Treadwell’s perfectly shaped pectoral muscles.

  She scowled at Char and returned to the very important job of setting out the cotton candy in an artful manner. “I need the money, Char. Next semester is going to be tough because I won’t have as much time at night and after classes to work. That’s the only reason I agreed to set up my tent in the campground. You know how crappy that area can be for a woman alone. The last time I worked there Pete was with me. Nobody gave me any grief because…well, Pete is Pete. But this year…”

  “That’s part of my plan, swoo girl,” Char said, setting down the tray she’d carried from the freezer. She rubbed her hands together. Whether from the cold or in expectation, Kat couldn’t say.

  “Huh?” She picked up the two extra packages of spun sugar and debated what to do with them. She’d planned to give them to her boys as a reward for behaving while her friends were here. But after that stunt with Jack…

  Char’s voice cut into her brooding. “…I take Jordie for the week? He and I got along great while we were at the powwow. I have to be on the road a couple of days, but I always stay with friends who have kids, so he’d be more than welcome. And I could use the extra help on the weekend at the tepee.”

  “Really?” The offer was unexp
ected, and generous. “He’d love that. What an adventure. But honestly, Char, I didn’t think you were…well, that into kids.”

  Char’s lips pursed in a kind of introspective way. “They’re a fact of life, and I like yours just fine.”

  “I’m glad. But Jordie’s dad isn’t the problem. He doesn’t really care what I do as long as it doesn’t cost him more child support.” She hated to say the words out loud because she never wanted Jordie to think his father didn’t love him. Drew did love his son; he simply loved whatever was going on in his life at the moment more.

  “I know. And believe me, Jordie does, too. And he’s okay with his dad’s shortcomings. You’ve more than made up for them by being a super-cool mom.”

  “Really?” The warm feeling in her midsection was cut short by Jenna’s voice calling from the other room.

  “Are you churning that ice cream by hand or did you have to milk the cow first?”

  Char growled. “We’re coming. How do you stay so slim when you eat like a horse?”

  Jenna whinnied in response.

  Char added spoons to the tray and started to leave, but Kat stopped her. “I really appreciate you offering to keep Jordie, but what will I do with Tag? I suppose I could call my dad, but…”

  Char motioned with her head, which as usual sported unusual highlights. Tonight’s were maroon. “I have a plan for him, too. I just wanted to see if you were cool with me taking Jordie.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be? He hasn’t stopped talking about the powwow since he got back. He says you rock.”

  Char beamed, but she kept walking. “Okay, you voracious dessert eaters. Did you explain to the R.U.B. about the book and why we’re eating enough sugar in one sitting to induce a diabetic coma in a person who doesn’t have the disease?”

  Everybody chuckled, but that didn’t prevent them from digging in. Jack, too, since Kat gave him her portion. Her stomach was too upset to digest anything. “Actually, Char,” Jack said, using his spoon for emphasis, “I read Water for Elephants when it first hit the New York Times’ list. My then girlfriend was on a reading kick and insisted that we read the same books so we could discuss them.”

  The women all exchanged a look that even Jack could interpret. He tossed his head and laughed. “Yeah, I know. That makes me a real wuss, doesn’t it? But to be fair, I got to pick every other title. And we wound up reading some good books. Personally I loved this one, although I had issues with the ending.”

  Libby looked at Kat and gave a little nod Kat hoped nobody else saw. She picked up a box with a familiar logo and carefully opened it to withdraw a kernel of caramel popcorn. She drew it closer and poked around with her finger. Do they still put prizes inside? She didn’t know.

  “Kat?”

  She looked up. Oh, God. Somehow she’d tuned out the conversation that had been going on around her. “Um…yes?”

  Jenna checked with the others first, then said, “Char suggested that I take Tag home with me. Mom and her friend, Rollie, won’t be coming for a few days. Tag could have her bed until they get here, then there’s always the couch.”

  “But you’re busy at the Mystery Spot. Didn’t you say you’re shorthanded at the moment?”

  “Yes. That’s the point. Remember when we talked about him working for me this summer?” She said the word in a way that reminded Kat that the previously discussed job—the same one she and Jack had argued about—was more about keeping Tag busy and feeling useful than actually earning a living.

  “But without your more experienced people there, Tag might be a nuisance.”

  Jenna shook her head. “I don’t think so. I was about his age when I started helping out. There are plenty of things for him to do—even just picking up trash. I promise I won’t overwork him. He’ll have fun, too.”

  Kat wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Um…wasn’t your reason for Tag not working at the Mystery Spot the cost of gas it would take to drive him there?” Jack asked.

  Kat sensed her friends’ surprise that she’d discussed her son’s job—or lack of one—with Jack. “Yes,” she said shortly.

  “Well, I have to cover for my manager all week,” Jenna said, her tone triumphant. “If he’s staying with me, then it wouldn’t cost you anything. We’ll bike there and back together. So?” She eyed Kat. “Can he come home with me?”

  Kat wanted to say yes. Knowing the boys were safe and having fun with people who wanted to spend time with them would free her to work as long and as hard as she could stand it. And no child-care bill would mean more money in the bank this fall. “Are you two sure you know what you’re getting into? We’re talking boisterous little boys. They’re not sweet and docile like Megan.”

  “My four-and-a-half-year-old niece,” Libby explained to Jack. “She’s an angel. For everyone, except her father, who she has wrapped around her finger.”

  “Oh,” Jack said.

  His tone was polite, but uninterested. Kat could tell he wanted to hear her decision.

  “Just promise me,” she said, “you’re not doing this because you feel sorry for me.”

  Libby shook her head. “We’re trying to help out, you goof. That’s what friends do. With both kids out of the house, you could rent Jordie’s room and Tag’s, if you were so inclined.”

  “Maybe Brian needs a place,” Char said with a loud raspberry tacked on for good measure.

  Everyone laughed, but Jack set the record straight. “Brian moved in with his mother. I suggested he give AA a try, but that didn’t go over so great.”

  Kat could imagine. Her dad had blown up at any insinuation that he had a problem with alcohol. She’d heard from several sources—including Buck himself—that he’d stopped drinking, but Kat wasn’t holding her breath. Besides, even if Dad was reformed now, the damage his drinking had inflicted on others continued to haunt all of his children, including Kat.

  “Brian’s a nice guy. This might be the wake-up call he needs to get his life back on track. I’ll try to bring up the subject with him the next time I’m working at Pop’s. Which won’t be until after the rally,” Kat said pointedly. “So it looks like I have a room to rent, Jack. Do we have a deal? A thousand dollars for a bed and private bath. Tonight through, say, Sunday morning? We have Coop’s big party in Sentinel Pass on Sunday afternoon, right, Lib? I could pick up the boys there.”

  Jack set his dish aside and put out his hand to shake.

  Kat braced herself for his touch. She’d been thinking about his hands and the yummy sensations they’d created in her body far too often since that night. To her surprise, he kept the contact short and sweet, businesslike. She stepped back just the same. Even a little residual swoo would not go unnoticed by her observant friends.

  She glanced at Jenna first, then Char. “If you’re sure about this, I’ll go talk to the boys.”

  Jenna and Char looked at each other a moment before scrambling to their feet. “Let us,” Jenna said.

  Char nodded. “If they don’t want to come, I don’t want you to pressure them into it. Not that you would, exactly, but you know how you try to make everybody happy and well…never mind. Give us five minutes.”

  “Ten,” Jenna corrected. “Tag and I have to negotiate his salary,” she added with a wink.

  They disappeared out the door before Kat could decide if she’d been insulted or not. She glanced at Libby, who was staring with an amused, proud-mother look on her face—even though her body was barely showing the baby bump the gossip magazines had been speculating about.

  “I can understand why Jenna’s so enthused about spending time with Tag,” she said conversationally. “From the moment she saw those Burnese mountain dog puppies, she’s had motherhood on the brain. But what’s up with Char? I didn’t think she had a maternal bone in her body.”

  Kat couldn’t say. In fact, Char had resisted Kat’s initial plea to babysit Jordie that fateful Wednesday when she’d subbed for Becky at Pop’s. Something must have happened that made the boy less o
f a previously assumed pain in the butt.

  Kat wasn’t too worried about how her sons would behave. They were well mannered and polite and they ate with their mouths closed—most of the time. She was proud of them and confident they could be trusted to play in grown-up sandboxes when required. They’d be fine.

  She only hoped she could say the same for herself. She’d agreed to spend six nights under the same roof with a man who’d somehow managed to nail her without a single drop of booze passing between her lips. Whatever kind of swoo Jack possessed, it was unlike any she’d known before. And it seemed to bridge two worlds—the present and the past.

  That fact alone should have scared the hell out of her, but it was too late to back out now. The boys would regard this opportunity to stay with Char and Jenna as a mini-vacation. The only kind Kat could afford. Especially if her period failed to show up on time.

  She could handle Jack and his time-traveling swoo, she told herself firmly. He was here. And now. And that was how they both were going to stay.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “ARE YOU SURE about this? I could probably buy camping gear and set up a tent.”

  He was helping her change the sheets on her son’s bed half an hour or so after the ball that he’d inadvertently set in motion took off like a rocket. Those book-club women really got things done, he silently acknowledged.

  “It’s fine,” Kat mumbled, giving the top sheet a crisp snap. Jack inhaled fresh air and sunshine, not the artificial perfume of a dryer sheet. “I fold and tuck the corners,” she told him.

  He knew how to make a bed, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he did as asked, and continued to look around the room. It felt on the small side and was definitely decorated in the eclectic clutter of a young boy, but he couldn’t spot a speck of dust on the shelves above the desk, and there was no lingering odor of sweat socks that he remembered from being in an all-male dorm in college.