by Katie Dowe
*****
There was a flurry of activities as they got ready for their trip. They were going to be flown to Aspen in the private jet and the nannies had packed the children’s clothes and had gotten them ready, making sure they had on their jackets and gloves. The maids had packed the three adults bags and they were downstairs ready to be taken out to the car. Matthew was making last minute arrangements at his company. He had planned to close the offices before he left but there were still reports to be finished and last minute meetings. Also the Christmas party that he had told them to go ahead with. He had asked his secretary Lorna to deal with the gifts and accounts was dealing with the bonuses.
They were going to spending five days there and it was jam packed with activities for the children. They were excited about the visit to Santa’s workshop and the sleigh rides.
They would not settle down even when they got to the lodge and their bags were whisked to the rooms assigned to them. The concierge beamed as he realized who the guests were and was determined to make their stay very comfortable.
“We want to go skiing!” Janice, always the ring leader, demanded as soon as they got to their rooms.
“We will eat and then we can go and check out the skiing,” her mother told her firmly.
It was already a little past noon and she knew that they were probably hungry, she knew she was.
They ate a delicious meal of Philly cheese steaks and hoagies and the children had burgers and hot chocolate. They were suited up in their ski gear and waited impatiently while the adults did the same. They went up on Snowmass with its gentle slope and spectacular view and scenic path. Janice took a tumble which had her father rushing to pick her up and dust the powdery snow off her face and curls.
The experience had them starving at dinner time because they wanted to stay out all afternoon. Jennifer stayed with them while Matthew and Cara went to dinner at the Sage restaurant. They had been handed their coffee and dessert when Cara asked the question that had been troubling her since she had heard the story about Bobby from Christine. She knew her husband loved her and was committed to her but something Christine said to her still bothered her. Her husband was a very powerful and extremely wealthy man and he turned heads wherever he went and more often than not he traveled to different countries without her. What if he was tempted?
“What if someone else catches your eye? Would you be tempted to cheat on me?” she asked him casually, running a slim finger around her coffee cup and staring down into the liquid.
He looked over at her sharply, a small frown on his forehead. He had noticed that she was preoccupied ever since they were coming up but he figured she would tell him when they were alone.
“I don’t think I have to prove myself to you again baby. What’s going on?” he asked her quietly.
She told him what had happened between Bobby and Christine. “You think that is going to happen to us?”
“What makes us so special?”
“I think you already know the answer to that.” He leaned forward and took her hands in his. “We share a bond that is firm and unyielding. The way I feel about you and the way you feel about me is something that can never change no matter what happens. We are a part of each other and we will always be, so you have nothing to worry about.”
Chapter 3
Carlotta Morgan, the fifty year old woman who had been principal at the exclusive school for the wealthy dreaded calling Matthew Logan. Before the children had started attending the school he had sent people to check it and all of the staff members out before registering his children. She had been hoping that he would have chosen their establishment and when he had made his thorough check, including their financial background and the amenities they offered, she had been over the wall.
Ever since the children had been attending he had contributed to every cause and had added a large auditorium to their smaller one. Suffice it to say that he and his wife were their best and most influential parents. She preferred to deal with his wife with her calm and easy manner instead of him who did not tolerate mistakes when it came to his kids. Taking a deep breath she dialed his straight line.
“Logan here,” he said his voice brusque.
“Mr. Logan I am so sorry to bother you but I was calling your wife and not getting through to her. This is Mrs. Morgan at the school-“
“What’s wrong?” he cut her off abruptly.
“Janice was taking swimming lessons and struck her head on the edge of the pool. She is-“
“I will be right there,” he hung up before she could say anything else.
Mrs. Morgan replaced the receiver with trembling hands and quickly went into the nurse’s station to see how the little girl was doing. She cursed at the instructor’s ineptitude to turn his back on the child for a second for the accident to occur. He had told her that he had been seeing to the other ten kids under his supervision and did not notice that the little girl had wandered away from the group.
She had upbraided him good and proper and he had been suitably chastened. If he caused Matthew Logan to take his children away then she would have no problem firing him. The little girl was sitting up on the bed and chatting nonstop with the nurse much to her relief.
“My dear how are you feeling?” she looked at the nurse and was given a nod of assurance.
“I have a little headache but that’s okay,” she said solemnly as if she was an adult.
“I called your dad and he is coming over.”
“You called my dad?” she looked at the woman with a little frown. “You should have called my mommy instead. My daddy is going to worry a lot.”
“As well as he should be,” an unbelievably tender voice said just inside the doorway.
“Daddy!”
“Mr. Logan!”
Both Janice and Mrs. Morgan called out at the same time.
“I will speak with you shortly,” he told the woman in a cool tone, his expression changing as he turned towards his daughter. “Now where is this cut I heard about?” she pointed to the bandage in her curls.
“It’s just a little cut daddy and it is not bleeding anymore. A girl named Carlene started screaming when she saw the blood. She is such a baby.” Janice said scornfully, lifting her arms as her father took her into his arms and examined her carefully. “Nurse Watkins said it is not going to leave a scar, so that’s good. Are you going to try and take us from the school?” she looked at her father anxiously.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I overheard Mrs. Morgan say it to Mr. Lucas, the swim instructor.” She said innocently.
“You don’t want to leave?”
“We love it here daddy and we don’t want to move. It was totally my fault.”
“Okay baby girl we will see.” He kissed her forehead gently and put her back onto the bed.
“Can I go to class?” she asked the Principal who looked at the girl’s father hesitantly.
“If she is well enough,” he told the woman briefly.
“You may Janice.” She said with a smile.
“Could you take me daddy?”
“Of course sweetie,” he said with an indulgent smile. “I will meet you in your office.”
“A very scary man but a very good father,” Mrs. Morgan murmured. “Are you sure she is okay?” she asked Nurse Watkins anxiously.
“She is fine.”
*****
“I am sorry Mr. Logan,” Mrs. Morgan said as soon as he came into the office.
He looked at her, his deep green eyes holding hers and causing her to squirm a little bit. “She could have been knocked unconscious and drowned Mrs. Morgan and I am not sure if sorry is the word I would want to hear.” He told her coolly.
“I know Mr. Logan and I am going to make sure it does not happen again.” She was hasty to reassure him.
“I am going to make sure it does not happen again. I am going to pull her from swimming.” He told her shortly, his tone inflexible.
“She real
ly loves the sport-“ the woman began only to be silenced by the look he sent her.
“Please let me know how she is during the day.” He stood up and went towards the door. “My children mean the world to me Mrs. Morgan so I will do anything in my power to protect them.”
*****
“And Martinique said she was scared when she saw the blood mommy but I was very brave.” Janice recounted her accident with relish and welcomed the attention she was getting as she got ready for bed. Cara had told her she was so sorry that she had not gotten the call to come over to see if she was okay.
“Daddy made a scary face and Mrs. Morgan and the swim teacher were afraid.” She said looking at her dad as he sat at the foot of her bed. Her aunt Jennifer had grabbed and hugged her tight as soon as she came from school and she had been treated extra special. Even Caleb had made her favorite hamburger for dinner. Both Joel and Jeremy had been suitably jealous and impressed.
“I am sure they weren’t honey,” Cara told her but knowing they had been. The woman had finally gotten through to her and had told her profusely how sorry she was and to try and convince her husband not to pull Janice from swimming.
“They were,” Janice insisted.
“Okay sweetie it is now time for bed.” Her mother told her firmly.
“Daddy can you read me a story before I go to bed?” She pleaded looking at her dad.
“Of course baby girl.”
Cara left him in there, their heads close together as he read her a story from ‘Winnie the Pooh’ and was in her nightgown when he came inside the room. She waited until he had gone into the bathroom and taken a shower before she brought it up.
“Shouldn’t you have discussed it with me first?” she asked him quietly as he came in with only a towel riding low on his hips, his ash blonde hair darkened a shade by the water.
“What’s there to discuss?” he asked her with a shrug pulling the towel away and leaving him totally naked showing his impressive torso as he toweled dry his hair.
“She loves swimming and you know it was just an accident Matthew.”
“An accident that will not be happening again.” His tone was inflexible and she noticed that when it came to the children or with her, there was no talking to him.
“Are you going to walk around them with a protective shield?” she asked in exasperation. “They are children and prone to accidents Matthew we just have to deal with it.”
“She could have drowned,” he told her tightly. “The call could have been something totally different. That damned teacher turned his back and our daughter slipped and hit her head, it could have been worse but thank the Lord it was not.”
He climbed the steps and came and sat on the edge of the bed. “I am in my fifties and I started having a family late in my life. You and our children mean so much to me that I cannot begin to make you understand how much. I will do anything to make sure nothing happens to any of you.”
“Short of putting us inside a bubble, I don’t see how you are going to prevent anything from ever happening.” Her voice softened as she reached out to touch his taut muscled forearm. “I understand your need to be the protective father but you need to give them space to make them learn things and Janice loves swimming.”
“I have made an arrangement for her to get some private lessons.” He said firmly. “Just drop it; I have made up my mind.”
“And I have no say in the matter,” she pulled away her hand, hating his obstinacy. “We are in this together please kindly remember that.”
“I will but on this I will not be moved. Go to bed baby I have some work to finish up.” He kissed her hard on the mouth and climbed back down, dragging on a pair of sweatpants and going towards his office, leaving her staring after him in mute frustration.
He did not come back in until she had fallen asleep. He had been scared when he had gotten the call from the school. She was right. He could not protect them every minute of the day. He had wanted to tell her to take a guard with her when she went to the center especially after the break in they had had some five years ago but he knew she would not hear of it.
She had told him that she intend to live her life like a normal person and not let the fact that she was married to a wealthy and visible man make her change her life. But what she did not understand was that she was not a normal person. Whether she liked it or not she was the wife of a powerful man and there were sick people out there who would gladly grab her and the kids to make a quick million or several and he had no intention of letting that happen.
He had checked out the driver that took them to school thoroughly before he had assigned him to them. He had trackers in all of his vehicles and made his children wear watches that let him know where they were at any given time. He was leaving nothing to chance.
He came back into the room and stood there looking down at his wife, his expression brooding. He had gone back to work and had barely been able to concentrate on what he was doing due to the incident. With a sigh he climbed into the bed beside her and pulled her close into his arms, smelling the strawberry scent she bathed in with mixed with the Shea butter she rubbed into her skin every night to keep it supple.
He did not want to tell her that he was fearful of not living to see them grow up and he was paranoid about losing them. She murmured in her sleep and automatically snuggled closer into his arms. With a tender smile and a kiss on top of her head, his hands tightened around her body.
*****
“I cannot believe you are pregnant Caro, Clive must be over the moon,” she said to her sister. They were on a video call and she had gone into the privacy of the small office to talk to her. Her sister and her mother and six and half year old Cara-Lee were supposed to come for Christmas but their mother had sprained her ankle so they had had to stay put.
“And this time there is no question as to the paternity. I am hoping it is a boy so I can call it quits but I don’t care either way.” Carolyn had had a brief fling with someone at the office she had been working and had discovered shortly after that she was pregnant but there had been a collective sigh of relief to find out that the child belonged to her husband. She had left him for a brief time and came to stay with Cara and her husband but they had managed to sort things out.
“You look good too and Jennifer was hoping you were coming.” Cara said looking at the clear image of her closely.
“I know I spoke to her just last night and she told me she is doing well.” Carolyn said with a sigh. “How is she really?”
“Putting all her love and affection and time on the children. They dote on her but I wished she would find a social life. Not that I am complaining.” Cara said hastily. “She makes our job so much easier.”
“She just needs time to get over that awful incident Cara and she is doing it the only way she can.”
“I know. I spoke to mom last night. I thought she would have come over by you.”
“She wants her own space and she has tons of friends who are eager to do her bidding. Our mother is not short of company.” Carolyn said wryly. “Cara-Lee goes by her every evening when her dad picks her up from school.”
“So everything okay with you guys so far?”
“Everything is great,” she said her eyes sparkling. “It’s just that the nausea is coming on me at all hours of the day and I cannot seem to keep anything down.”
“Hang in there honey it will be worth it in the end.” Cara told her with a grin.
“Easy for you to say,” Carolyn grumbled. “I should have done what you did and have this baby right after Cara-Lee.”
“Thank goodness that period is over,” Cara said heaving a sigh of relief. “It felt like I had three babies at the same time.”
“And a very supportive husband.” Carolyn reminded her.
“That I will never forget.”
*****
Ever since the incident in the kitchen just before Christmas, Bobby was wary of his wife. He had told Marlene that it would be better
if she took another bus because his wife was threatening to come and confront her. The girl had done so reluctantly and he had given a sigh of relief. He had gone home straight after his shift was ended because he did not know if Christine was checking his schedule so he had put his tail between his legs and gone on home to her.
His toes curled inside his boots each time he had remembered slamming her against the table and taking her from behind. He had never done that to her before and he had to admit that it had been amazing. They had made love more than four nights the week after that even going so far as to doing it in the kitchen after making sure Daniel was fast asleep in his room.
He stamped the snow off his boots and shook most of the flakes from his heavy jacket as he made to open the door. It had been a very nasty January day and even when he had been on the road, the visibility had been poor. Tomorrow was Tuesday and that meant he was off.
He sighed and pushed the door open. He was looking forward to sleeping for most of the day. He stopped short and blinked as he realized that there was no light on in the living room, just the glow of the fire in the fireplace. It was almost ten and he suspected that both Christine and Daniel had long since gone to bed.
He took off his jacket and hung it on the peg just inside the doorway and as he turned around he saw her on the faded blue sofa totally naked with a drink of wine in her hand and one on the table beside her head. Her legs were spread wide and he could see the curl of hair on her pubic area. He found himself wondering fleetingly what would happen if their son came out of his room and saw her like that but the thought was very fleeting as the flood of desire overwhelmed the thought.
