Marrying Kate

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  She felt movement and suddenly Jared was propped up on an elbow next to her, his hand cupping her damp cheek as he turned her to face him in the dim moonlight.

  "Don’t tell me nothing’s wrong, Katie." Jared’s thumb moved across her cheek, brushing away a tear. "I have never seen you cry before. What is causing these tears? Was it something I did? Were you upset that I was late?"

  Kate nodded slightly and managed to speak. "I was worried when you hadn’t called all day and then were late. I knew you were distracted this morning, and I was afraid something had happened."

  Jared eased down on his side, sliding his arm under her. His warm breath caressed her ear as he sighed. "Yes, you’re right. I was distracted this morning and because I’m demanding honesty from you, I have to be honest myself."

  Kate tensed, afraid of what he might reveal to her. Jared must have felt her movement because he began to stroke her arm. "Hey, it’s nothing too serious. We have it all under control but I think you need to know, just in case.

  "I’ve discovered since my return that although my death was reported in error, it was not really a mistake. I think I was supposed to have died in that helicopter crash. I think that the aircraft had been tampered with in some way to ensure an accident, and hopefully my death. They obviously didn’t think anyone had survived the crash so put out the story about my dying in a car accident. It would have been too hard to explain why I was in the helicopter belonging to a well-known drug lord.

  "Because of that, I believe that someone is out to get me—and not just me, but another guy I also worked with. I was told that he had died as a result of a car bomb. He also sent me an email warning me about not trusting anyone. I’m not sure what will happen now. Clearly I’m still alive, so I can only assume that someone is unhappy about that. I don’t know what—or when—they might try to rectify that situation.

  "I already have security in place for all of us. The house is under constant surveillance and you will be followed whenever you go anywhere, as will the kids. You already know about the new security system I’ve had installed here." Jared stroked her arm again. "I’m not telling you this to scare you. I just want you to be aware so if anything looks suspicious, you’ll let me know. Okay?"

  "Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Jared? We might have been in danger."

  "We’ve acted quickly, Kate, and had guards in place for several days now. I just didn’t want you to worry. It’s possible that nothing will ever come of it."

  "Are we going to have this worry over our heads forever?"

  "I certainly hope not. I’m pretty sure that they will make their move sooner rather than later. "

  Kate moved closer to Jared, seeking his strength and protection. "I don’t want to think of anything happening to any of us."

  "Then don’t." Jared pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Everything is under control and as long as we stay alert, things will be fine."

  Sighing, Kate realized she didn’t have much choice. To live in a state of terror would only upset the children and they deserved as normal a life as possible.

  "I’ll do my best not to panic if you promise to keep me up to date on things."

  "I’ll try but unless it’s something major, I don’t want to worry you with it."

  Lying in Jared’s arms Kate thought back over the evening and felt a little foolish for the things that had been running through her mind. Jared was here with her now, concerned and not wanting to worry her. He may not love her, but he did care. The ache that had been pounding in Kate’s heart subsided to only a dull throb, something that she could live with.

  "Go to sleep, it’s late." Jared gave her a soft kiss before gathering her close.

  *****

  Morning came too soon as far as Kate was concerned. Both of them slept in and didn’t have time for their devotions together before the kids came down.

  "We’ll have them tonight," Jared promised as he and the kids headed out the door.

  Because of the late start, the house was a disaster. Dishes all over the place, clothes on the floors of bedrooms. Kate spent most the morning trying to get things back in order. Dani was cranky which didn’t help. She wanted to be held constantly and was only happy when she could chew on a frozen bagel. Kate guessed that the little girl was teething.

  Before her afternoon nap Kate gave her something to hopefully help the little girl with the pain. Kate sighed with relief when Dani finally settled down and went to sleep.

  Once all was quiet, Kate went back down to the kitchen to do something that had been on her mind all morning. She found the paper Jared had given Bry the night before and with slightly trembling fingers, she punched out the number.

  "Hello?" A soft, feminine voice answered and Kate’s fears spiked again.

  "Hi, my name is Kate. I’m--"

  "You’re Jared’s wife!" Darlene interrupted, her voice warm and friendly. "He told me about you last night. He was most anxious to get home to you and the children."

  "We were glad to have him home," Kate replied. "I just wanted to call and thank you for baking the cookies for Bry’s class."

  "It was my pleasure, dearie. I love to bake but now that my kids have grown and moved away, I don’t get much chance, even for my grandkids."

  Grandkids! Kate wanted to laugh with relief. "I’m sure they’re missing your baking if those cookies are any indication. I wish I could bake half as well. My one attempt at cookies was a total failure. Cookie dough may have gone into the oven but hockey pucks came out," Kate admitted ruefully.

  Darlene laughed, a light airy laugh. “Oh my dear, I could tell you stories of my failures over the years. I’ve made things even a starving man wouldn’t touch, let alone his dog.”

  “Really?” It amazed Kate that this woman whose talent Jared admired had once struggled with failures in the kitchen.

  “Oh yes. Kitchen abilities may come naturally to some but to the rest of us, it’s just a lot of practice and hard work. You have to start simple and work your way up.”

  “Would you mind...?” Kate paused for a second wondering if she dared impose on the woman.

  “Mind what, dearie?” Darlene prompted.

  “Um, giving me some pointers on cooking? I’m just terrible at everything. My pancakes are finally becoming edible, but everything else has been a major flop.”

  “I wouldn’t mind at all! Do you want me to come to your house?”

  “Come here? Well, I certainly wouldn’t want to make you travel too far. I can come there.”

  “It’s no trouble,” Darlene assured her. “I love to drive. I bought myself this nifty little sports car but hardly get to drive it. Just give me the directions and I’ll be there. Plus, you’ll want to have the fruits of your labor there to share with your family.”

  Kate agreed and thanked Darlene for her generosity. They set up a time for Darlene to come and Kate hung up feeling a lot more confident than she had earlier. She was glad she’d taken yet another risk and phoned Darlene. She couldn’t wait to plunk her first tasty meal before her family.

  *****

  With an eye on the clock, Kate checked the oven once again. There were flutters of excitement in her stomach and her cheeks were flushed, not just from working over the stove. Tonight she had prepared a real meal for her family. Not just a macaroni and cheese casserole or soup but a full-fledge meal. She couldn’t wait!

  Darlene had left shortly before the kids got home from school. They’d all commented on the enticing aromas and teased Kate about getting takeout from somewhere. She had taken their teasing good-naturedly before sending them to get changed.

  Jared was due home any minute. He’d phoned when he left the office to let her know he was on his way. He’d been so good about that since that night a week ago and Kate appreciated his efforts.

  She heard the door open and quickly pulled off her apron. Jared walked into the kitchen, an appreciative expression on his face. "Something smells good. Takeout again?"

  Kate was torn b
etween wanting to give him a playful smack and kissing him. In the end she did neither. She just quirked an eyebrow. “You’d better be nice or you’re not going to get any of it.”

  "That would be torture, you know," Jared informed her as he put his briefcase down. "Smells like that with no tasting could kill a guy."

  "But at least you’d die happy! Just think, you could die smelling burnt rice."

  Jared obviously remembered that fiasco and quickly agreed with her. "Can I help you with anything?"

  "Nope, nothing here, but you could go get the kids all washed up."

  Kate waited until Jared left the kitchen before pulling the meal out of the oven. As per Darlene’s instructions she’d left the covered bowls to warm while she waited for Jared to come home. Now she worked quickly to get the bowls of carrots and potatoes as well as the platter of roast beef onto the table before they all came back. Gravy, a fresh salad and soft rolls completed the meal. Except for the dessert which Darlene assured Kate would knock the socks off them.

  As she waited, Kate had to admit that it hadn’t been that difficult a meal to prepare. She’d just needed some guidance and direction. Darlene had provided both, and the result was this wonderful meal. She wondered if the family would get tired of roast beef every night.

  "Well, what’s all this?" Jared asked from the doorway.

  Kate turned to see him standing with Dani in his arms and the other three crowded around him. "It’s dinner."

  They eyed it skeptically as they sat down around the table. Kate was looking forward to seeing them eat their words along with this delicious meal. The kids seemed reluctant to put more than one carrot and potato on their plate, but Jared pinned them with a warning stare.

  Kate loaded up her plate with more food than she’d eaten at a meal in a long time. At the sight, Jared added another spoonful of carrots onto his plate. Kate cut up Dani’s food and watched the little girl shovel it in. The kids took tentative bites but were soon devouring the meal.

  "That was very good," Jared announced after he’d cleaned his plate for the second time. "You’ve found an excellent new place for takeout."

  "You just don’t believe I actually cooked this meal, do you?" Kate glared at him. "I’ll have you know that I did cook it, and it’s all from scratch. But since you’re doubting me, I’ll eat dessert all myself. I’m sure you wouldn’t want any double fudge chocolate cake."

  Jared looked at the kids and then back at her. "Did you really make all this? By yourself?"

  Kate almost nodded but knew she had to be honest. "I did make it all, but I did have a tiny bit of help. Not much mind you, she just gave me directions. I did the actual work myself."

  "Okay, so who was the angel directing you?"

  "That would be Darlene?"

  "Darlene?" Bry asked in surprise. "Cookie-lady Darlene?"

  "That’s the one. I called her the other day to thank her for the cookies and we got to talking. Seems she wasn’t such a hot cook when she was younger either. She agreed to give me some help and this meal is the first of our lessons."

  "It really was delicious, Kate," Jared said. "I’m sorry we were teasing you. You did a great job."

  "Thank you." Kate couldn’t stop the flush of pride at his words. "It was really quite fun. Do you think you can handle roast beef dinner for the next few nights? Darlene can’t come back for a couple of days to help me with something new."

  The laughter around the table set Kate’s heart dancing. This was her dream, and for the first time in months she felt satisfied and happy. It still wasn’t perfect. Jared didn’t love her, and it would forever sadden her that her dream had the chance to blossom because of her sister’s death. But they were together and building a family that, while it was different from the one Steve and Jen had created, Kate knew it would be as strong as long as they worked hard at it.

  Chapter Six

  "Auntie Kate?"

  Kate looked up from the pot she was washing to see Amelia standing a few feet from her. They’d finished up another delicious meal. Her fifth so far. Another two and she’d have a whole week’s worth of menus to rotate.

  "What’s up, sweetheart?" It was rare that Amelia sought her out for anything. She’d been so strong for such a young child. Kate had only seen her cry once since the death of her parents and grandparents.

  Amelia edged a little closer, and Kate left the pot to soak in the sink so she could focus on her niece.

  "Umm, the girls’ group at church is talking about having a dinner." Amelia moved her foot back and forth over the floor, her expression serious.

  "That sounds like fun. Do you need me to make something? I think I could manage to pull something together that wouldn’t embarrass you too much. Just give me some warning and a smile."

  A brief smile flitted across the nine-year old’s face before turning sober again. "I don’t know what we’re doing for food yet but it’s something else."

  Kate put an arm around Amelia’s shoulder. She moved them to the breakfast nook hoping that she was up to dealing with whatever was bothering Amelia. Since she so rarely came to her for help, Kate didn’t want to mess things up.

  "What is it about the dinner that’s bothering you, sweetie?"

  "It’s a father-daughter dinner," Amelia whispered, her voice ragged.

  "Oh sweetie." Amelia came right into her arms, tears filling her eyes. "You’re missing your dad, aren’t you?"

  Amelia nodded. "All the other girls will have their dads but I won’t."

  Kate prayed for wisdom to say the right thing. "It’s okay to cry, honey. It’s okay to feel sad."

  "I...miss...them...so...much," Amelia gasped the words out between sobs.

  Kate cradled her niece close. She spoke soothing words of comfort and stroked a gentle hand up and down Amelia’s back. It had taken seven months to get this point and Kate knew that Amelia must have a lot of grief bottled up inside her.

  They stayed that way for almost ten minutes. Finally Amelia’s sobs subsided to mere hiccups. She slumped wearily in Kate’s arms.

  Once she was sure the tide of emotion had passed Kate spoke to her again. "I know you miss your daddy, Amelia, but I also know that if you want to go to that dinner there’s someone who would gladly go with you."

  Amelia lifted her head and looked at Kate with red, swollen eyes. "Uncle Jared?"

  Kate nodded. "I think he would be honored to go with you. He’ll never replace your dad, just like I’ll never replace your mom, but we’d be happy to step in where we can. I think in this case your uncle would love to go with you."

  "Aunt Kate is right." Jared stood in the doorway, Dani in his arms. His gaze locked on his tearful niece. "I would be honored to go with you. If that’s what you want."

  Amelia nodded. She slipped off Kate’s lap and headed for her uncle. Jared squatted down so he was at eye level with her. "Maybe Aunt Kate can take you out and buy you a special dress for the dinner. How would you like that?"

  "I’d love that."

  Kate smiled and caught Jared’s gaze over Amelia’s head as he drew his niece close for a hug. She wondered if he was as overwhelmed with love and pride for Amelia as she was.

  Kate remained in her chair even after Amelia took Dani and went in search of the other two kids. Jared came to join her at the table.

  "I hope I didn’t interrupt. When Amelia disappeared I thought I’d see what had happened. Are you okay?"

  Kate smiled at him. "I’m fine. I was scared I was going to mess up, but I think it worked out okay."

  "It worked out better than okay. You did a great job."

  Warmth flooded Kate’s cheeks. "I, uh, better get back to the dishes."

  "Hey, before you do, I forgot all about something until I heard Amelia talking about that dinner. We’re invited to a company dinner next Friday. Drake’s trying to lure a new client and everyone not in the field is invited to attend along with their spouses."

  Kate hesitated. She never did well in social settings, but
for Jared she’d do it. "Sounds like it will be...fun."

  Jared laughed. "Probably not but at least the food will be good. Drake won’t waste his money on high priced cardboard."

  "Well, I’m all for eating a free, delicious meal, especially if I don’t have to make it."

  *****

  Early the next week, Kate started to panic about the party. She had nothing to wear. The only thing she had that came remotely close to being appropriate for the dinner was her wedding dress but that wasn’t really appropriate. And something about wearing it again to a business dinner party just didn’t sit right with her. Finally Kate bit the bullet and approached Jared one night after the kids had gone to bed.

  He was in the library and looked up from the computer when she knocked on the open door. "I don’t mean to disturb you."

  "You’re not." Jared swung away from the computer and stood. "Did you need to talk to me about something?"

  Kate nodded, not sure how to proceed.

  "Why don’t we sit over there?" Jared gestured to the chairs in front of the unlit fireplace. "More comfortable than sitting at this desk."

  "I hate to ask you this, but I’m stuck." Kate stared at the darkened fireplace, not wanting to meet Jared’s gaze.

  "This sounds serious. What’s wrong?"

  "It’s about the party on Friday. I have nothing to wear." Kate peeked at Jared then in time to see a smile flit across his face.

  "Isn’t that what all women say?"

  "Well, in my case it’s true. I never went to formal occasions in Seattle. The only fancy dress I have is the one from our wedding, and I don’t want to wear that to a business dinner."

  "I see your problem. Well, sure, buy yourself a new dress."

  Kate shifted uncomfortably in the seat. "It’s not just buying a dress. I, uh, need some money."

  "Money?" Jared looked at her in surprise and then dismay. "We never set up anything for money, did we?"

  Kate shook her head. "You give me the money for groceries and stuff for the kids and that’s been enough, but for this dress...I don’t have enough in my savings to buy anything."