Trap 'N' Trace

by Tee O'Fallon

  “A dumpster?” Her jaw dropped. “You ate food from a dumpster?”

  Again, he chuckled. “You’d be surprised at how much decent food restaurants throw out every day. I’ve had more than my share of lobster.”

  Oh my god. While she was being served vichyssoise in fine china, he was dumpster diving in back alleys to survive.

  Shame sliced through her. Not that it was her fault that she’d been born into wealth, but this certainly explained a lot. Like their first encounter. A man with Dayne’s backstory might very well resent someone like her who’d had everything handed to her on a silver platter. Literally.

  “You seemed shocked to hear that.” There was no censure in his eyes or his voice. Only fact, and his assumption was the correct one.

  “I am shocked,” she admitted.

  “Why? You must know kids like that actually exist.”

  “Of course I do. I donate a lot of money annually to several children’s organizations. It’s just…just…” How to say it without sounding like a snob? “It’s because you’re so confident in who and what you are.” One of many things she admired about him. The only time she had that level of confidence was in the boardroom. In her personal life, not so much.

  He grunted, as if he didn’t agree with her assessment.

  They drove deeper into the neighborhood where the houses were older, with mature trees and well-established perennial gardens. Tulips and daffodils bloomed everywhere.

  She gasped. “Flowers. We need to stop for flowers. I can’t go to your parents’ party without bringing a gift. Flowers at the very least.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He turned left onto another street. “Lily and I have this covered. We booked them a week-long vacation in the Florida Keys. My folks know what’s going on with you. Trust me.” He winked. “They’ll forgive this one breach in protocol.”

  “You told them about me?” He nodded. “Told them what exactly?”

  “That you’re the Katrina Vandenburg. They can’t wait to meet you.”

  “What else did you tell them?” She held her breath. No way would he have told them everything. Right?

  “Nothing. Except that you’re under my protection.” He parked in front of a two-story Tudor house and shut off the engine. “We’re here.”

  Relief had her slumping in the seat. She hooked a leash to Angus’s collar and waited for Dayne to come around and signal her to get out. Remy ran straight to the front door, as if she’d been here a hundred times before. Angus barked and strained at the leash. She took a deep breath. A few hours, and it would all be over.

  Dayne pushed open the door and Remy bounded inside. Kat maintained a firm hold on Angus’s leash, which only made the puppy strain harder and bark louder. The second Dayne unclipped the leash, Angus bounded through the hallway after Remy.

  Laughter floated their way, then, “A puppy! A puppy!”

  “After you.” Dayne extended his arm, indicating she should follow the laughter down the hall.

  They didn’t make it to the kitchen before Lily met them halfway. Kat held out her hand to the other woman but was swept into a warm hug instead.

  “It’s nice to see you again.” Lily released her. “And under better circumstances this time.”

  Better circumstances. That was one way to put it.

  “Hi, Lily.” Dayne kissed his sister on the cheek.

  “Hi, yourself.” She gave him a warm hug then took Kat’s hand and led her the rest of the way to the kitchen. “I need to check on dinner. C’mon in and meet everyone.”

  Only then did she realize Lily wore an apron and the house smelled amazing. Garlic, herbs, and something meaty permeated the air, making her stomach growl.

  Four sets of eyes turned to her. Two from the couple seated at the round oak table—Dayne’s parents—and two from the kitchen floor, where a boy and a girl stopped playing with Angus and Remy to stare at her.

  “Kat,” Dayne’s deep voice resonated behind her, “this is my mother and father, Renee and Bill Andrews.”

  When Renee rose from the table, Kat extended her hand but Dayne’s mother ignored it and enveloped her in a hug. “If you haven’t figured it out by now, we’re huggers in this family.”

  Renee released her then stepped aside for Bill, who did the same. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, young lady.”

  Renee and Bill were in their late sixties, she guessed, with gray hair and warm brown eyes. They exuded a kindness she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Since her parents died.

  “Hi, Mom.” Dayne hugged his mother tightly then gave his dad a giant bear hug, clapping him on the back. “Dad. Happy anniversary.”

  “Thank you, son.” To Kat, he said, “Can I get you a glass of wine?” He pointed to the bottles of Cabernet and Chardonnay on the table.

  “Yes. Thank you.” Try a whole bottle.

  “Leave me some of that Cab for the sauce,” Lily said from the stove, where she stirred something in a saucepan.

  “Uncle Dayne, where’d you get the puppy?” the boy—who looked to be about ten—asked.

  “Guys. Get off your tiny heinies and come here.” Dayne held out his arms, and when the children went to his side, he draped an arm over their shoulders. “This is Miss Vandenburg. Kat, this is my nephew, Jimmy, and my niece, Adele.”

  Jimmy held out his hand. On the cuteness scale, this kid was a solid ten. As she shook the boy’s hand, he sucked his lower lip between his teeth. Big, beautiful brown eyes stared up at her. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Vandenburg.”

  “Pleased to meet you as well, Jimmy.” She doubted her manners were as good as Jimmy’s at this age.

  “What’s your puppy’s name?” he asked.

  “His name is Angus, although he’s not really mine. I’m just taking care of him for a while.”

  “Can I play with him?” Jimmy’s brows rose, his face brimming with hopefulness.

  “Of course you can.”

  “Addie?” Dayne gave his niece a slight nudge and the girl extended her hand.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Addie said. “Are your eyes really purple?”

  Kat smiled at the wonder in the child’s eyes. “Yes, they are.”

  “Wowww.” When Addie stepped closer, Kat knelt to let her get a better look. The girl stared for a good five seconds. “They’re so pretty. Mommy, can I have purple eyes, too?”

  Lily stopped stirring and laughed. “No, baby. You have to be born with them.”

  Kat touched Addie’s cheek. “I think your eyes are beautiful just the way they are.”

  “Say ‘thank you,’” Dayne said.

  “Thank you, Miss Vandenburg.”

  “Son, can I get you a beer?” Bill asked Dayne.

  “No thanks, Dad.”

  “Come sit by me, Katrina.” Renee patted the chair next to her. “We’re looking at old photo albums.” Dayne groaned. “Dayne doesn’t like it when we walk down memory lane. Sweetheart, you were such a handsome boy.” His mother lovingly stroked her fingers down a photo of Dayne in a football uniform.

  “Were?” Dayne’s face twisted with mock disappointment.

  He wasn’t kidding. Contrary to what she’d assumed, he really did have a sense of humor, after all.

  When Renee turned another page in the album, Bill headed to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer.

  “I think I’ll take that beer after all, Dad.” Dayne grimaced like a little boy about to be embarrassed by his mother.

  “Figured that.” He popped the cap off then handed the bottle to Dayne. “It’s River Horse Ale. Your favorite.”

  “Thanks.” He took a long slug.

  “Did you know a hippo spends ninety percent of its life underwater?” Jimmy asked Kat.

  She shook her head, smiling. “I didn’t know that.” Jimmy really was adorable. Both Lily�
�s children were.

  “Jimmy wants to be a veterinarian when he grows up,” Lily said. “His father always took him to the zoo. That’s where he fell in love with animals.”

  “Why don’t you and Addie take the dogs into the backyard to play?” Dayne suggested.

  “Okay!” Jimmy shouted, delight written all over his face. “C’mon, Angus. C’mon, Remy.” He ran to the kitchen door and flung it open.

  Remy and Angus charged outside, with Jimmy two steps behind.

  “Wait for me!” Addie scrambled after her brother.

  “Don’t be too long,” Lily called after them, still stirring. “Dinner’s soon and you have to wash your hands before coming to the table.”

  “Did Dayne tell you he was an All-American running back?” Renee flipped the page to more photos of Dayne in his football uniform.

  “No, he didn’t.” She gave him an exaggerated smile, and as she turned back to Dayne’s mother, caught the narrowing of his eyes. This could be fun. Since he’d given her no choice about being here in the first place, she intended to make the most of it. Especially if it involved anything that made him uncomfortable. Right back at ya, Mr. Federal Agent man. Payback was a bitch.

  “Well, he told us an awful lot about you.” Renee winked at her son. “Like where you live, what you were like, and all about the Canine Haven.”

  “Mom.” The word came out on a strangled growl. “I told you all that so you’d understand where she comes from.”

  Where I come from? What did that mean? Oh, right. Wealth. She shot him an icy glare.

  He tipped the bottle back and it took all her willpower to stop staring at the strong column of his throat as he swallowed.

  Bill came around the table and rested his hand affectionately on his wife’s shoulder as they both looked at the photos. Dayne sat in a chair opposite Kat, his face softening as he watched his parents. He had a major soft spot for his family.

  The kitchen door swung open. Remy and Angus barreled inside, followed by Addie and Jimmy. Addie ran to Dayne and held up her arms. He tugged the little girl onto his lap. First, the little girl at Becca’s wake and now his niece and nephew… The man really was great with children.

  “JJ, wash up before dinner.” Lily poured herself a glass of wine and joined them at the table. “And you’re next, young lady.”

  “Okay, Mommy.” Addie snuggled deeper into Dayne’s arms.

  “JJ?” Kat asked.

  “Jim Junior. Jimmy was named after his father.” Lily pointed to a wedding photo of her and a tall, red-haired man in a police uniform. “He was killed in the line of duty. Four years ago.”

  Kat went completely still. Her heart ached for Lily’s loss. “I’m so sorry.” She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to fall in love then lose that person so early in life.

  “Me, too.” Lily pressed a hand to her breastbone. “But we’re doing okay now. I don’t know how I would have managed without Mom and Dad helping me, and especially, my brother.” Lily looked across the table at Dayne, the love and affection so obvious in her eyes. “Thank god Mom and Dad adopted both of us.”

  She studied him from across the table. “He’s just full of surprises, isn’t he?” she muttered, mostly to herself. Aside from him being an FBI agent and being adopted, she didn’t know much about him. Maybe he didn’t want to get too personal, either. Could that be the real reason why he’d stopped things before they’d actually made love? Or maybe he’d realized long before she had that having sex with a witness was mixing business with pleasure. No problem. I may have been late to the meeting, but I did get the memo.

  “If they hadn’t taken us in,” Dayne said, ignoring her last comment, “we’d both have rap sheets as long as my arm.”

  “You, brother dear,” Lily said, slanting her brother a sarcastic look, “would probably still be in jail.”

  Still? Kat caught the subtle shake of Dayne’s head as he glared at his sister. How had someone who’d been arrested become an FBI agent? Clearly, there was a story there that he didn’t want told.

  “Okay, okay.” Lily threw up her hands. “Just sayin’ is all.”

  Bill draped an arm over Dayne’s shoulders. “I think you both turned out pretty darned well if I do say so. Two extremely law-abiding citizens.”

  “Oh, Mom.” Lily grimaced as she pointed to the album. “I thought you got rid of all the photos of her.”

  Renee made a disgusted sound. “I must have missed this one.” She peeled back the plastic sheet and plucked out the photo of a younger Dayne with a beautiful woman. She crumpled the photo and tossed it on the table.

  “Wonderful,” Dayne grumbled then took another slug of beer.

  Lily pointed to what was left of the photo. “That is—or, rather was—Britt Somers, one of Dayne’s ex-girlfriends.” One of them? She shouldn’t be surprised. A man with his looks probably had a long list of exes. “Britt was a gold-digging bi—”

  “Lily! Not in front of the children.” Renee nodded to Addie and JJ, who’d returned from washing his hands.

  “Sorry, Mom.” Lily cupped the side of her face so only Kat could see her mouth the word bitch. “I call it as I see it. I’m glad that woman showed her true colors before you married her.”

  So Dayne had been engaged. No matter how much she willed it not to, that pea-green veil clouded her vision again.

  “Don’t you have something to do at the stove?” Dayne growled. “Like, I don’t know…cook?”

  There was definitely another story there. The man’s list of secrets was growing by the minute. She shouldn’t be curious. Shouldn’t want to know everything there was to know about the man. But she did. Dammit.

  “Fine.” Again, Lily threw up her hands. “All I’m saying is you’re better off without her.”

  “That’s one thing we agree on.” Dayne gently set Addie on her feet then stood. “I need to feed the dogs.” He went to the pantry and began scooping kibble. As soon as it hit the bowls, Remy and Angus began Hoovering their food.

  “Can I help with anything?” Kat asked Lily.

  “No, you relax with Mom and Dad,” Lily said over her shoulder. “If Dayne didn’t mention it, I’m a caterer. I’ve got things well in hand.”

  Judging by the wonderful smells emanating from the stove, Lily did, indeed, have things well in hand. There was also a beautiful four-inch high sheet cake perched on the counter, one with dark chocolate frosting and yellow roses.

  Dayne’s warning about Manny came to mind, but she pushed it away. Even if it was only for a few hours, she didn’t want to think about all the lurking threats in her life.

  For the first time since she had arrived, Kat looked around the kitchen, admiring the warm yellow walls and the worn table that had probably hosted many a family gathering. Photos and kids’ drawings dotted nearly every square inch of the refrigerator, held there by tape and magnets. This house was filled with light, warmth, and love. I miss that.

  When her parents were alive, evening meals were a time and place for them to come together as a family and talk about everything. Dad’s business deals. Mom’s charity organizations and everything going on in Kat’s life. Her parents always had time for her, and they showed it with their love.

  “Dear, are you all right?” Renee asked. “You’ve been through so much this past week.”

  “We’re sorry to hear about your friend who was killed,” Bill said to her, then to Dayne, “Both your friends. You must miss them.”

  Dayne nodded but didn’t say anything.

  “I do.” A lump formed in her throat. “Terribly.” And last night, she’d almost found a way to take her mind off the grief. With their son.

  Something touched her shoulder—Dayne’s hand, gentle and reassuring. Though it was a simple gesture of support, she appreciated it. More than she should.

  Two hours later, Kat’s
stomach was about to burst.

  “Lily, your chicken piccata was delicious, and this chocolate mousse cake…” She had no words for how wonderfully chocolatey and rich the cake was. “It makes my heart sing.”

  Lily’s face beamed. “I’m happy you enjoyed it.”

  “JJ.” Dayne snagged the boy’s arm. “Stop feeding Angus cake. Chocolate’s not good for dogs. It can make them very sick, and I don’t want him puking on the way home.”

  “Aww, Uncle Dayne.” JJ gave his uncle a sheepish look.

  “You, too.” Dayne stopped Addie from slipping a frosting-laden gob of cake to Remy.

  Both children giggled, and then everyone at the table was giggling. Except Dayne.

  “Yeah, very funny,” he said. “You’re not the ones who’ll have to wash out the kennel. Maybe if I made all of you clean up dog vomit you’d think twice.”

  “Dayne.” Renee swatted his arm. “The dinner table is no place to discuss vomit.”

  Another round of laughter went around the table, and this time, Dayne joined in.

  “Do you have a business card?” Kat asked Lily. “I periodically host charity events and I’d love to have you cater one. If you’d like to, that is.”

  “Are you kidding?” Lily’s brows shot up. “Of course I would. I appreciate the opportunity.”

  Kat clasped Renee’s hand, smiling warmly at Dayne’s mother and father. “Thank you—both of you—for allowing me to intrude on your special day.” It really had been more fun than she’d expected.

  “It was our pleasure,” Bill said.

  Renee squeezed her hand. “You’re welcome to join us anytime.”

  “Thank you.” She wished she could join them again but doubted it would ever happen. “This was wonderful. Unfortunately, I have to get up very early tomorrow. I have meetings all day in the city.”

  Dayne’s brows lowered. “You didn’t tell me that.”

  “I forgot.” Actually, she hadn’t. Until that moment, she’d planned on canceling all her morning meetings, but she had to get out of the house. Anything to keep her busy. Because she’d enjoyed tonight far too much.