She managed to do that for another three hours or so, walking with the Chatam sisters and her aunt and uncle down to the corner of the estate to watch the Independence Day parade as it wound its way through the historic district from the downtown square of Buffalo Creek. As soon as they returned to the house, however, the place began to fill up with people, and Phillip seemed always to be at hand, greeting the newcomers with hugs and smiles and making quick introductions. The first to arrive were Garrett and Jessa Willows and their son, Hunter, all of whom promptly swept Carissa’s children outside to play. Garrett, the former Chatam gardener, promised to show them all the secret places on the estate.
Before Carissa could catch her breath, she met more Chatams than she’d known existed, starting with Asher and his wife, Ellie, and their baby daughter, Marie Ella. Next came Petra and her husband, Dale Bowen, whom she’d met the other night, followed quickly by Reeves and Anna Leland and their daughter, Gilli. Reeves’s sister Melinda and her husband, J. W. Harris, came with their little boy, Johnny. To everyone else’s surprise, Reeves and Melinda’s twin baby sisters, Harmony and Lyric, showed up, too, saying they were just passing through on their way home to California after visiting friends in New York.
While the Chatam sisters were getting their nieces settled upstairs, Kaylie breezed in with her husband, the hockey player Stephen Gallow, and her father, Hub Chatam, who led the grief support group. Kaylie’s brother, Chandler, arrived from Stephenville with his wife, Bethany, and their little son, Matthew. Another of her brothers, a much older one, Bayard Chatam, and his wife, Chloe, brought along their married daughter Julia and her sons Richard Paul and Brian Travis, their father being out of town on business. Bayard promised that his younger daughters would be along later, and one of them, Carolyn, arrived on the arm of her uncle Morgan, a distinguished-looking college professor and Kaylie’s second-oldest brother.
Then Carissa met Phillip’s parents, who arrived with Dallas. Thereafter, Phillip never again left Carissa’s side, a circumstance for which she quickly became thankful, given that the Drs. Murdock and Maryanne Chatam made a formidable pair and seemed to have a particular interest in her.
Dr. Murdock Chatam stood tall and straight, with a head of thick, graying hair, cinnamon-brown eyes and a patrician profile, complete with the Chatam cleft chin. Dr. Maryanne Chatam was slender and of average height, with blond, silver-streaked hair cut in a stylish bob and gray-blue eyes as sharp as scalpels, especially when they honed in on Carissa, which they did the instant that Dallas made the introduction.
“My daughter tells me you have three children,” said Maryanne.
“And that she’s a widow, no doubt,” Phillip added, stepping up to Carissa’s side, “and that her father recently passed and that she’s a whiz with computers and any number of other things, I’m sure.”
“Including that she’s Chester’s niece and is staying here at Chatam House,” his father stated in weighty tones.
“And now we’re all up to date on Carissa Hopper,” Phillip said, taking her by the arm and aiming a very pointed look at his sister. Dallas shrugged and shook her head defensively as Phillip maneuvered Carissa away and escorted her quickly through the house and out onto the patio, which was crawling with people.
“What was that about?” Carissa asked once they were well away from his parents.
“My meddling sister,” Phillip said between his teeth.
“I don’t understand.”
“Dallas has a penchant for...interfering,” he told her, “but don’t worry. I won’t let my parents grill you.”
“Why would they do that?”
He huffed out a breath. “Let me restate. Dallas has a penchant for matchmaking. She nearly burned down Kent’s house while trying to get him and Aunt Odelia together. And managed to spark a romance between Asher and Ellie in the process. She almost derailed Petra and Dale, however, and after that near fiasco, she supposedly reformed. But now here she is with our parents, and they’ve got their sights on you, which tells me that someone’s been talking you up.”
Carissa caught her breath, blinking. “You’re saying that Dallas thinks you and I should be a couple.”
“And my parents will almost certainly oppose it,” he confirmed with a nod.
Carissa frowned. “But why?”
He shrugged. “Because they oppose everything I do, that’s why.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Oh, it’s very simple. Asher is the responsible elder son. I’m the irresponsible younger one.”
“Okay, you don’t have a job right now, but that will change. Won’t it?”
“Eventually it has to,” he said offhandedly, “but let’s go over some of the jobs I’ve already had. I’ve taught surfing and snowboarding. I’ve fished in Alaska. Briefly. It wasn’t as fun as it looked. Oh, and I’ve fed lions in a zoo.”
“Lions!”
“Elephants, too. Different zoo.” He waved that away. “What else? There was skydiving. You’d be amazed how many people want to jump out of airplanes. I led treks in the Canadian Northwest. And in between the grand adventures there was making sails, stenciling boats, tanning alligator hides, selling everything from books to jewelry, modeling kilts.”
“Modeling—”
“And I even made a credible barista. Oh, and I did work on a play and for a band, at one time, but that was way back, when I was first in college and thought I might actually make a career in something. Out of all that, I don’t think I’ve ever had one job that my parents actually approved of, though. Or one girlfriend.”
“And they think I’m your girlfriend?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, then, we’ll just set them straight.”
“Oh, sure,” he said flippantly, “because that’s always worked so well for me in the past. Just leave it to me, will you? I’m an expert at putting up a wall between me and the Doctors Chatam,” he assured her, waving at his brother-in-law and another couple. “Just stay close. Unless you want to be probed.”
Sure, that was just what she needed. And what would she say if his parents asked her outright if she wanted to be with their son? That she didn’t know what she wanted?
“I’ll leave it to you,” she muttered, her head swirling.
“Smart girl.”
Carissa soon met Dale Bowen’s sister and her husband, as well as a number of other young parents. Her cousins arrived with their children, much to the delight of Hilda and Chester. Meanwhile, her own children were having the time of their lives, running and playing with the other kids in attendance.
Nathan, as usual, was the gang leader, but Gilli Leland was giving him a run for his money. A bossy little thing, she had him hopping, justifying his every order and suggestion, much to Grace’s giggling delight. Tucker and Hunter Willows, meanwhile, had become fast friends. The others were barely big enough to join in, but Nathan, Gilli and Grace were good about seeing to it that they were included, and the other parents shared in keeping an eye on everyone.
Carissa relaxed a bit, even with the Doctors Chatam observing from a distance and Phillip glued to her side. Or maybe it was because he was at her side. Even with all the couples around her, for once, she didn’t feel out of place, an oddity. It was almost as if she and Phillip were a couple, at least for the moment.
Oh, he didn’t do anything to especially make it seem that way, behaving exactly as a casual friend might, but he was there when she would otherwise have been alone in a group of young couples. Perhaps the assumption by his parents, and maybe even the assumptions of others, fed the feeling.
Or maybe she just wanted to be a part of a couple so badly that she couldn’t help feeling part of a pair.
For whatever reason, she let it be. For one day. That wasn’t chancing too much. Or was it?
She thought over
all that he’d told her, all that he’d done, flitting from one interesting occupation to another, doing whatever job took his fancy. She understood what he was waiting for now. He was cooling his heels until the next big thing came along, until a fun job or an exciting adventure presented itself. Meanwhile, he’d amuse himself with her and her kids.
On one hand, she ought to be grateful. He’d been so much help. On the other hand, she wanted to shake him. Didn’t he realize what he was doing? He was making her—them—fall in love with him, when he had no intention of staying around. Even knowing that he would take off as soon as the next great challenge came along, she couldn’t quite seem to help herself, and her poor children had absolutely no defenses against a man like him. They weren’t used to a man who spent time with them and showed affection to them. Even Nathan was at risk.
But what could she do? Berate the man for being kind? She’d tried to keep her distance, and that hadn’t worked.
She felt helpless. All she could do was tell herself over and over again that it was just for one day. Just one day.
Just one day to enjoy being with Phillip Chatam.
But it wasn’t enough.
Chapter Twelve
Several portable grills had been set up along one end of the patio, and when the steaks, hamburgers and hot dogs came out, Phillip did his part, along with Asher, Garrett, Chester, Dale and Chandler, in cooking the meat. Meanwhile, Carissa helped Hilda and the other ladies lay out a spread that consisted of half-a-dozen enormous salads, a variety of chips and dips, baked beans, a wide selection of condiments, a bushel basket of corn on the cob and many other dishes. What thrilled the children most were the cakes and the three large electric ice-cream makers that sat humming beneath one table. Periodically, either Hilda or Chester would add crushed ice and rock salt to the outer containers while the cylinder turned inside.
The steaks started coming off the grills about midafternoon, much to the delight of the very hungry crowd. Despite having grazed their way through mountains of chips and bowls of dip and other goodies, many had worked up appetites in the pool or playing games of horseshoes or badminton on the lawn. Carissa didn’t have a bathing suit, so she’d declined to swim and instead had partnered Phillip in a winning game of badminton before claiming a spot beside him at one of the tables on the patio and chatting with Jessa and Garrett Willows.
Somehow, they got on the subject of phone apps, and Garrett asked about the possibility of designing an app that would allow a customer to take a photo of a plant and identify it. Carissa promised to investigate the possibility and was shocked, pleasantly so, at Phillip’s easy comment.
“If anyone can figure it out, Carissa can. She’s a computer genius.” She nearly spun her head off her neck goggling at him, but he just smiled and went on. “Maybe when we’re through with our current project, we can look into yours in more detail.”
Our current project. Carissa cleared her throat and ducked her head. Maybe she shouldn’t have avoided him these past several days. Maybe, if they worked together, he would see her as more than a lull in the series of adventures that was his life. She told herself not to be a loon, but keeping her distance hadn’t worked, so why not take a chance on spending a little time with him? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
All right, Lord, here goes nothing.
“Maybe, um, we can work on the project Saturday evening after I put the kids to bed,” she suggested to Phillip softly.
He looked down at her. “I thought you might be working Saturday to make up for today,” he replied evasively.
“Well, yes, but not so late into the evening.”
“You have to have some downtime,” he said. He shifted forward then, enthusiasm lighting his eyes as he went on. “I’ve been making some phone calls, though, talking to people who might be interested in the kind of application we’re considering, and so far the feedback has been very positive.”
Phillip’s sister Petra came over then and whispered into his ear, but Carissa couldn’t help overhearing.
“I just wanted to apologize. It was Ellie who, um, spilled the beans to our parents, so to speak, but really, it only took a remark that you had mentioned...” She glanced at Carissa. “...a certain someone.”
“And Mom and Dad were all over it,” Phillip surmised, straightening. “But if Ellie made the initial remark, then why are you apologizing?”
“Well,” Petra drawled, glancing at Carissa again, “after Mom couldn’t get anywhere with Dallas, she called me, and eventually—I emphasize eventually—I told her everything I knew. Honestly, Phil, she was like a dog with a bone.”
Carissa watched as Phillip’s mouth compressed into a tight line, but then he sighed, patted his sister’s hand and pushed back his chair.
“I have to go make an apology now,” Phillip said. Petra nodded in obvious understanding as he rose. “Stay with Carissa until I get back, will you?” Again, Petra nodded.
Carissa started to say, “Oh, that’s not necessary,” but Petra cut her off before she got the last word fully out.
“But I want to.” She settled into Phillip’s chair as he strode off in the direction of his baby sister. “I’ve been wanting to get to know you better.”
“Oh? That’s, uh, nice.”
Petra laughed. “You must think we’re terrible.”
“Why, no,” Carissa hedged uncomfortably. “Why would I?”
“It’s just that Mom and Dad have such high expectations, you see,” Petra explained kindly. “You should have seen what they put Dale through last year before we married. Now, of course, he’s perfect, as least so far as they’re concerned. And Ellie. Oh, my. They adore her. After all, she’s the mother of their first grandchild, but you should see the look on Dad’s face even now whenever Ash talks about the practice uniforms that she devised for her soccer team.”
Petra launched into a comical description of floppy ears attached to caps and tutus worn over shorts. Garrett Willows joined in to explain how Ellie had used those things to teach the children on her team proper running and kicking techniques. Carissa didn’t have the faintest idea what it was all about, but she couldn’t help laughing at the vivid pictures they painted. Phillip returned and sent his sister off with hugs. She patted Carissa’s shoulder as she left them.
“Nice talking to you.”
“You, too.”
As soon as Petra disappeared into the crowd, Carissa leaned close to Phillip and asked, “Everything okay with Dallas?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
Before he could elaborate, however, Hubner Chatam stood up and asked for everyone’s attention. In short order, Stephen and Kaylie Gallow happily announced that they were expecting their first child in five months’ time. What had been a holiday party quickly turned into a true family celebration as everyone rushed to congratulate the beaming young couple. Carissa noted how carefully tall, blond Stephen enfolded Kaylie in his long arms, her back to his chest, as the family gathered around them. Phillip hurried to join the rest of the family, his smile as wide as his face. Carissa couldn’t help smiling herself, especially when Hub asked everyone to link hands to join in prayer and Phillip came immediately to snag her hand in his and pull her into the circle.
She felt a great sense of belonging, standing there among all those Chatams, one hand in Phillip’s, the other clasped by Jessa, as Hub asked for God’s blessing on the new baby growing in his daughter’s womb. It seemed to Carissa that Chatam House must be a blessed place, and she thanked God for the sanctuary she had found there. For however long it lasted.
The afternoon passed into evening without further incident, the awful heat driving many indoors and others to the pool. Carissa allowed the children to swim with Phillip while she sat with her feet dangling in the water. Later, the children pulled their clothes on over their bathing suits and gathered w
ith everyone else to watch the fireworks.
Every Independence Day, the city of Buffalo Creek produced a fireworks extravaganza at the high school football stadium, but not many of the Chatams’ guests left to attend. Instead, they dragged lawn chairs out to the west lawn and spread blankets in front of the great magnolia tree to watch from afar as the fireworks painted the night sky with bursts of color.
Phillip spread a blanket between his brother Asher’s and that of the Willows family, while Carissa herded her weary children into place. Grace crawled into Phillip’s lap and was well on her way to sleep when the first explosion of colored lights lit the sky. Even Nathan seemed too tired to complain, contenting himself with grumbles about the hardness of the ground and the lack of space, but he soon quieted, lying back and folding his hands behind his head to gaze upward with awe at the display. Even with the loud booming of the fireworks, Tucker went to sleep nestled against his mother’s side.
Carissa couldn’t help stroking his scraggly mop. The boy needed a haircut. She’d have to get out her scissors and make him hold still for it soon. Nathan hated unruly hair and insisted that she keep him trimmed, but if Tucker had his way, he’d be sitting on his hair before he’d sit still for a haircut. She chuckled, thinking that he’d probably use it to swing from the chandeliers.
Phillip looked over, smiled and asked, “What’s so funny?”
She shook her head. “Just thinking how strange it is that children with the same parents and raised in the same household can be so different.”
He nodded. “I know what you mean. Just look at me and Ash. There’s no more responsible human being on the face of the earth than my big brother.” He glanced fondly at Asher then shook his head. “But me...I’ve always jumped from one interesting job to another, living for myself and no one else.”
Love Inspired January 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Her Unexpected CowboyHis Ideal MatchThe Rancher's Secret Son Page 32
