The Mistletoe Affair Page 12

  Not without motivation.

  Jared smiled grimly as he rushed the car through a yellow-turning-red light. He might be able to dish out some motivation, in the form of a threat.

  Jared glanced down. The boy's eyes closed and within ten minutes he heard him snoring away. He turned the heat up, making the inside of the car nice and toasty during the ride home.

  He'd never treat Katherine and Matt the shoddy way that Paul did. Did he really want to try and convince her of how he would or could treat her? He'd have to think on this.

  * * * *

  Unable to sleep that night, Jared turned on the bedside lamp and lay back against the pillow. He still couldn't shake the image of Paul palming that bimbo's behind. It reminded him of how rotten the slime-ball had treated Katherine.

  My Katherine.

  The thought jackknifed him into a sitting position. My Katherine. She didn't belong to him, or anyone. Well, there's my answer, he thrust his hands through his hair. No way would he see that bastard deceive Katherine and remarry her.

  He picked up the phone from the nightstand and punched in a long distance number. It rang an ungodly number of times.

  “Who the hell is this?” the voice on the other end demanded, yawning full-force into the mouthpiece.

  “That you, Carl?” Jared asked, holding the phone a short distance from his ear until the wind blowing stopped.

  “Jared? Is that you?"

  “Yeah, it's me,” he answered to his old friend.

  “You know what time it is?"

  Jared peeked at the clock on the armoire. “Two here in Houston. Must be three your time."

  “Who is it, Carl? Is anything wrong?” a feminine voice asked in the background.

  “Go back to sleep, sweetheart. There's nothing to worry about.” Carl Moore yawned again. “Some of us aren't party animals. We actually sleep at night.” He chuckled.

  “Sorry to wake you and Susan, but I need your help."

  “You working on another big case and need some detective work done?"

  “No. This is personal."

  “Personal?” Carl paused. “A woman involved again?"

  “Yes."

  “Serious?"

  “It is.” Jared filled Carl in on everything he knew about Paul Cahill, Katherine and Matt. He went into details about the rendezvous he saw Paul have with the clinging blonde vine. “You can understand why I don't want Katherine or Matt hurt again by this loser."

  “I'll fly to Houston today and see what I can sniff out."

  “I want pictures. I might need to convince this bastard to tell Katherine the truth. I don't want him hiding under another pile of lies."

  Carl chuckled. “You want five-by-sevens or eight-by-ten glossies?"

  “You decide. But there's a bonus if you find out everything you can, including if Paul is allergic to dogs."

  “Boy, that's a new twist. But there's nothing I can't find out about someone."

  “I'm counting on it."

  Jared suffered through Carl's ear splitting belly laughs. His old buddy couldn't seem to stop laughing. “What's so funny?"

  “You,” Carl said with another hoot.

  “Me!"

  “Hell, yes. I never thought I'd see you losing sleep over another divorced woman. Didn't you swear off that breed when Shannon jilted you and ran back to her ex?"

  Jared rubbed the back of his neck. “I'm not mixed up with another divorcee. Not the way you mean. Katherine's a beautiful, sweet woman, but we haven't-"

  “Oh, that's rich. You must be slipping."

  “Katherine and I are just friends."

  “Friends? Boy, you got it bad and don't even know it."

  “I'm doing this for Matt.” Mostly.

  “Really? You should hear how you say her name."

  “The attraction I have for Katherine is purely physical."

  “And you haven't done anything about it? No wonder you can't sleep. It's unnatural, particularly for you. I can't wait to meet her.” Carl's boisterous laughter rang out again.

  Jared slammed the phone onto the cradle.

  One hour later, still unable to sleep, he threw back the covers and headed for the kitchen.

  Chapter Nine

  “Matt, what's wrong?” Katherine asked softly. She entered his bedroom and saw the sad look on his face. He raised his head. “You're always the first to the table. Don't you feel well?” She walked to his bed and plopped down on the corner. Lifting her hand, she felt his forehead and cheeks. “You don't have a fever. Thank goodness."

  Tiny worry lines crept between his eyes. “You don't think I'm too much of a baby, do you?” he asked and fell back onto the pillow.

  Katherine lay down beside him and pulled him into her arms. “Never.” He nestled against her shoulder. “You're growing up too fast to suit me."

  “I read some, but not all the big words. It's time you stopped reading to me. I can do it myself.” She glanced down at him and his chin quivered.

  She pulled him closer. “You're a big boy. If you want to read to me and let me help you with the hard words, I will. But I enjoy the sound effects, don't you?"

  “You don't think they're childish?"

  “Childish? Where did you hear that word?"

  “Last night when Dad read to me. You still think of me as your baby, but I need to grow up."

  “Your dad said that, too?"

  Matt nodded.

  Katherine took a deep breath and forced her rising temper down. Nothing irritated her more than to hear adults say, “Grow up,” to a child. They grew up all too quickly, and parents were left with an empty house and memories. She'd learned that bit of wisdom from her mother bawling her eyes out when Katherine left for college.

  She moved Matt to the side of her, sat up and leaned over to look him straight in the eyes. “Here's how it is between you and me. I'll always be your mom, and you'll always be my baby, even when you're grown and have a family of your own. There's nothing wrong with the word baby. It means you're my child and very special to me.” She swallowed hard. “If childish means having pillow fights, sleepovers, making s'mores late at night, eating popcorn in bed, and watching videos together-sounds perfect to me."

  He smiled up at her. “Me, too."

  She lay back down and his head dropped back onto her shoulder. “What else did your dad say?"

  “We'll be living with him soon."

  She clenched her jaw. “He shouldn't have said that. You and me, we're the Two-Musketeers. It's important for you to see your dad, but that doesn't automatically mean we're going to live with him again.” She chewed the inside of her cheek. “Are you okay with that?"

  He reached around her neck and hugged her. “Yes."

  “Are you sure?” she asked rubbing his back.

  “I'm sure,” he whispered.

  Katherine sighed, relieved her decision to discourage Paul would not hurt Matt. “We're going to have the best Christmas."

  He nodded.

  She tickled him and he giggled. “It's Tuesday and you know what happens tonight."

  “Tree-trimming!” He rolled away from her and jumped from the bed. “I gotta eat my breakfast, hurry and dress, and find Mr. Randall. We're wrapping presents, and we're gonna put ‘em under the tree after it's decorated tonight."

  She laid out Matt's clothes. “Sounds positively childish to me,” she teased, hoping the negative word now held a positive spin.

  He reached his hand out with an ‘all right with the world’ grin. “Come on, Mom. We got a lot of fun things to do today."

  * * * *

  That night, Katherine faced a full-length mirror and slid her stocking feet into red suede heels. She liked dressing up for the party in her sleigh scene sweater. The slit up the back of her skirt revealed cheerful green Christmas trees on the pleats when she walked.

  A light rap on the door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in."

  Matt entered, sporting navy blue pants and a snowman sweater. He walked
around her, looking at her outfit and nodding, his chin thrust out in a distinctly adult-and charming-manner. “I agree with Mr. Randall."

  “About what?” she asked, putting on her earrings. Turning, she adjusted the red ribbon running through her French braid.

  “You're beautiful."

  Her hand froze, leaving the tube of lipstick hovering an inch above her lips. She turned and looked down at him. “That's one of the nicest things you've ever said to me.” She finished applying her lipstick, trying to keep the tremor out of her hand. “Mr. Randall said I'm beautiful?"

  Matt nodded. “Sure did.” He toed the carpet with his boots. “Where's Dad?"

  “He went to the filling station for ice. The sodas are iced down in the cooler, but we needed a couple more bags."

  “Oh.” He paused. “Can I have a cookie?"

  “Of course. They're on a tray in the entryway."

  Katherine followed Matt down the stairs to finish last minute decorations, hoping the house would be big enough tonight for Paul and Jared to coexist peacefully. Her mother and she had taken steps to ensure it, but that didn't guarantee their plan would work. Both men needed to cooperate.

  She passed under a brightly-lit swag of garland taped above the archway and entered the living room. Pausing, she turned in a full circle and inhaled the pungent scent of evergreen, cranberry candles and fresh pine. Smells that uniquely said Christmas.

  Dropping her gaze from the decorated mantle, her thoughts returned to the two men who needed to cooperate for the night to go well, neither of whom seemed like team players.

  Well, she decided heading toward the kitchen where she could hear her mother's voice, she would simply have to talk to Jared. First, about her plans to keep peace tonight. About his irksome need to rescue her. Letting him know she did not require his help might ease some of the tension. She hoped Jared would listen.

  * * * *

  Seven right on the dot. Jared parked his Lexus in front of Grace's house. He grabbed the pie from the passenger's seat, walked to the entrance, and rang the doorbell.

  “Coming,” Katherine shouted as the door swung open. Off-key voices sung the refrains of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” as the stereo played softly in the background. Laughter and snippets of conversations drifted out into a magical night adorned with blinking candy-cane lights.

  His heart sputtered an extra beat.

  “Hi. Come on in,” she said with a cheerful smile. She reached and grabbed the dessert from his hands. “If it's something chocolate, I've got first dibs on it-two servings."

  He forgot to breathe.

  Her long dangling snowflake earrings flashed, drawing his undivided attention to her lush red mouth. He loved red-in any shade-especially her fire engine, hot red lips. “It's a pie,” he croaked. He came to his senses and found her hand on his elbow steering him into the house.

  “I think you know everyone,” she said, pointing to the sea of neighbors. A few people turned and shouted, waving hello. Some raised glasses and whistled between their teeth to get his attention. He reciprocated the cheerful greetings with a slightly distracted smile and wave, still disconcerted by his first glimpse of Katherine tonight. She was absolutely stunning, glowing with Christmas cheer, and practically irresistible.

  This thought returned his attention to the moment and he scanned the crowd, searching the faces, but he didn't see lover-boy, Paul. Good. He did see Grace, who winked at him, or maybe at Katherine, who still stood beside him, hand extended to take his coat. Smiling down at her, he began shrugging out of it. He turned and winked back at Grace. Thomas stood beside her, a miserable look on his face.

  About the time his gaze traversed the faces again, he noticed Grace streak from the room like vapor.

  Katherine touched him on the arm and he looked into a teasing jade pool. “You trying for a new fashion statement? I've heard of one shoe on and one shoe off, but never one sleeve."

  He glanced down and stood half-in, half-out of his coat. One side dragged the floor. “Think it'll catch on?” he asked, arching a brow and removing the other side. “Just show me where to put it. I wouldn't want you to drop my pie."

  Turning, she crooked her little finger and motioned. “Follow me into the bedroom."

  Bedroom! Taking a steadying breath, he clutched the coat and trudged along behind her. He willed the rising heat to recede as her hips swayed in front of him.

  From the bedroom doorway, he tossed his coat on the pile before he and Katherine turned to thread their way to the buffet table.

  She removed his chocolate delight and shoved the empty box under the table. The pie wound up in the middle of dessert heaven. It's a wonder the table didn't buckle from the calories in that section alone, he thought. “You expecting a famine?"

  She chuckled. “If it comes, we're certainly prepared.” Her eyes glanced his way. “I like your shirt and Santa tie. You look good in that deep shade of green."

  He reached out and flicked one of her snowflake earrings. “As long as we're throwing compliments around, your outfit's pretty spectacular. You look tempting as sin in red."

  “You gotta watch out about sin,” Reverend Whittaker remarked with a wink and a smile as he walked by.

  Color crept up Katherine's neck until her face matched her sweater. She punched him in the ribs. “I swear, I can't take you anywhere in public."

  He moved closer, smiling as her eyes widened, all dewy and innocent. “I'm at my best when I'm not in public."

  Not missing a heartbeat, she shook her head and slid her hand through the crook of his arm. With her best Texas drawl, she said, “We'll have to work on your manners,” and escorted him from the dining room to the living room.

  He chuckled. “I'm willing."

  Every nook and corner held boxes of decorations for the tree. He envied Katherine, growing up surrounded with all these family traditions and so much love. She stayed close to his side and made him feel right at home.

  “I like the fireplace.” He pointed to a wreath hanging on the wall. Directly below that, trains and lighted Swiss chalets nestled in cotton matting on the mantel. Poinsettias rimmed the outer border of the white marble floor. The scent of oak filled the room from a wood fire burning behind a mesh screen.

  “I hope you don't mind, but I promised the kids you'd help them make strings for the tree,” she said, releasing his arm and angling him a sideways glance. She was smiling.

  He dragged his gaze from the crimson curve of her lips. “Strings?"

  She laughed. “You'll see.” Taking his arm again, she led him up the stairs and into a large carpeted game room. Card tables containing bowls of popcorn and fresh cranberries lined the floor. Seven noisy boys and girls inhabited various chairs around the tables.

  Matt looked up from the cluster of chattering children. Seeing them, a grin stretched out from ear to ear. His hand shot up, waving wildly. “Mr. Randall! I saved you a place.” He patted the empty chair beside him. Glancing over at his mother with a tolerant smile, he tried to allay her concern by saying, “Don't worry, Mom. I'll show him what to do."

  Jared sat down amid the circle of bright-eyed children and warily picked up a large, rounded needle with a long trailing length of string. He cast an even more wary glance at the eager faces staring back at him. What was he supposed to do?

  Matt was as good as his word, although Jared never would have dreamed it. Within five seconds, he was threading popcorn and cranberries onto strings like an old hand.

  “There are baby wipes on the table in case you need them,” Katherine said behind him. Turning toward her, she pointed to an innocent-looking powder blue box sitting three feet away. His smile fled. Baby wipes! What had he gotten himself into?

  “If you want, we can make a paper chain, too.” Matt pointed to a stash of red and green construction paper, and other supplies. Jared looked at the pile. Last time he made a paper chain, he was in second grade.

  She placed her hand on his shoulder. The light touch mad
e his blood surge through his veins. “I've got to go, Counselor. I promise not to leave you upstairs all night.” She leaned and whispered, her breath lightly stirring the hair on his head, “I'd like to talk to you about something personal later on."

  He stabbed his palm with the needle and fought an ‘Ouch'. Staring at his thick fingers, he fumbled for the delicate berries and slender string. “Fine."

  Get a grip, or you'll embarrass yourself.

  “I've got to run help Mom play hostess. Think you can manage to hold the fort down here?"

  “I'll help him,” Matt said.

  Jared grabbed the five mandatory popcorn kernels to two cranberries and waved them at her. “I'm in good hands.” When he craned his neck around to look at her, she moistened her lips with her tongue. He let out a pent up breath. “Go do your hostess thing."

  She turned on the soles of her heels and strolled seductively across the carpet. Her hips kept rhythm to “Jingle Bell Rock” as she moved toward the stairs. His appreciative gaze followed Katherine.

  Where's a cold shower when you need one? Man, and I'm here with the tiny tikes, better get a grip on things or have to explain the tent in his lap.

  Matt touched his arm and handed him a cranberry. “You still think my mom's beautiful?"

  “Yes."

  “I told her you did.” Matt beamed.

  Jared squashed the cranberry between his fingers and reached for the baby wipes.

  Twenty minutes later, each table proudly held two cranberry and popcorn chains and one paper chain with glow-in-the-dark stickers ready for hanging. Jared had used one entire box of baby wipes and managed to keep all ten fingers of each child free of stains. Keeping everyone from eating all the popcorn had turned into a first class battle, but he'd succeeded.

  He looked up just as Katherine stuck her head around the corner. She gave him an innocent smile and walked toward him. Her sweater hugged her sweet body. The sleigh appliqué moved when her breasts bounced ever so slightly. He rubbed the back of his neck.