"And you shouldn’t have to worry about that. I meant to reimburse all the money you’ve spent over the past few months for the kids."
"I didn’t mind, Jared. It was the least I could do."
"I mind. If you’d been able to get hold of me you wouldn’t have had to spend all your savings. The least I can do is give it back to you."
Kate sat silently for a few minutes. That was not what she wanted. "Jared, I really don’t need money for anything. I have enough for the incidentals and you’re taking care of the bills and groceries and whatever the kids need."
"You shouldn’t have to come to me asking for money every time you need some, Kate. You need money of your own."
"Okay, but can we just put it into a joint account or something? I’ll take some of it and invest it, but I’d like to contribute to the household."
"You do contribute to the household," Jared informed her. "More than you’ll ever know."
Kate didn’t want to argue with him. "If you prefer to just give me the money, that’s fine. I’ll take care of investing it and using it for my needs."
Jared gazed at her for a moment and then nodded. "I think we need to discuss this a little bit more, but for now I’ll just give you some money for the dress and whatever else you need." Jared stretched out his leg and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. He handed her some cash and then a credit card. "Spend as much as you need. If you need anything else, you buy it too."
"I’ll pay you back,” Kate promised.
“No, you won’t, but we’ll discuss it later.” Jared stood and slipped his wallet back into his pocket. “Right now I’m ready for bed, how about you?”
*****
Jared paced the carpet of the library. He and Kate were due to leave in about fifteen minutes for the dinner party, but it was something else that was occupying his thoughts.
It had been four weeks now since they had gotten married. Four weeks since he’d determined that someone was out to get him. Only he wasn’t so sure now. There’d been no sign of any further attempt on his life. Garth hadn’t been able to determine who might have been on the other end of the phone when Kate called, but other than that, he reported nothing unusual at the agency.
Because the possibility was high that whoever was targeting him lived in one of the countries where he worked, they might not realize that he was actually alive. But if they had someone inside the agency, there was a chance that they might find out he was. The uncertainty was killing him. This big black cloud hanging over his family seemed like it would never go away. They couldn’t live the rest of their lives that way. But without knowing the exact direction the threat came from, he couldn’t even set a trap for them.
They’d had round the clock surveillance on the house and a security person with them whenever they left home. Jared just didn’t know how long to keep up the security. On one hand, he wanted the killer to know that he was still alive because as long as Jared didn’t know who was behind the attempt on his life, he was at risk. By revealing he was still alive he could draw the killer out in the open. It was something he would have done without thought at one time, but now he had a family to think about. To put them at further risk was something Jared couldn’t even contemplate.
He’d give it another week, then he’d have to talk more Drake to see if they could come up with a long-term plan. Jared didn’t think he could move on and fully enjoy his life as long as this threat hung over it.
"Jared?" Kate’s voice interrupted his thoughts. He swung towards the door and froze.
His eyes widened as he took in her appearance. He’d never seen her this dressed up, even for their wedding. "You look very beautiful, Kate."
The color of her cheeks deepened as she came into the room. "Thank you. You look very handsome yourself."
Kate had been closeted in the guest room when he’d come home earlier and had asked that he wait downstairs for her once he was ready. The wait had been worth it. She was absolutely stunning.
The deep purple of her dress complimented her soft gray eyes. The dress skimmed the curves she was beginning to regain now that she was eating more. Its straight skirt ended just inches above trim ankles and feet that were shod in black shoes with criss-cross straps. The top of the dress had thin straps over her shoulders and a gauzy scarf encircled her neck and fell down her back. Her hair was a riot of curls that tumbled from a silver clasp over her bare shoulders. She didn’t look at all like the Kate he knew.
"Shall we go?" Jared offered her his arm as he smiled at her. "You’re going to wow them all."
Kate took his arm and returned his smile, her gray eyes dancing with excitement. Jared felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach. He was at a loss to explain what he felt. He hadn’t anticipated getting this emotionally involved with her. He’d been so sure that she was not a woman he could ever come to love, but now Jared wasn’t so sure.
The thought almost sent Jared into a panic. Pushing it aside, he tried to focus on the evening ahead. Together they went to say good-bye to Mrs. Harris and the kids before heading out.
Several people had already arrived at the private dining room where the dinner party was being held. Jared felt Kate’s grip on his arm tighten as a man and woman approached them. He glanced at her and saw nervousness on her face. He hadn’t really thought she’d be nervous since she always seemed so cool and collected.
"Drake, I’d like you to meet my wife, Kate." Jared slipped his arm around Kate’s waist as Drake held out his hand.
Kate took it. "It’s a pleasure to meet you."
"You too. Jared’s told us a lot about you and the kids," Drake said with a smile. "All of it good, of course."
"Of course." Kate returned Drake’s smile.
"This is my wife, Maylene." Drake turned to the petite woman at his side.
"I’m so glad to finally meet you," Maylene said as Kate shook her hand. "We were all most curious to see what kind of woman had captured Jared’s heart."
If Jared hadn’t been watching Kate closely he would have totally missed the wince that flashed across her face. Jared realized he’d never told anyone the real circumstances around his marriage. Not that he’d hidden it or anything, he just hadn’t discussed it.
A few more people joined their group and soon they were part of a crowd. Jared was careful to keep Kate close at hand, always touching her in some way, hoping to help her get over her nervousness. As he laid a hand on the small of her back to guide her to the table, Jared realized that they didn’t do a whole lot of touching outside of the bedroom. After this evening, he decided he was going to remedy that. He enjoyed being near her, smelling her perfume and feeling her warmth against his side.
The evening progressed slowly, and Jared waited for Kate to give the signal that she was ready to go. She had relaxed over the dinner and chatted knowledgeably with the people seated near her. Jared often forgot that his wife possessed a genius IQ because she never talked down to anyone, yet it was obvious she knew a lot about a wide variety of subjects.
They weren’t the first to leave but they didn’t linger long once others started to go. They said their good-byes to Drake and Maylene and left.
"Did you enjoy the evening?" Jared asked once they were in the car on the way home.
Kate had leaned her head back against the seat. "It wasn’t bad at all. I was kind of nervous, but it turned out fine. I like Drake and Maylene."
"They’re super people. We’ll have to have them out to the house some time. Maybe have a barbecue or something. They have two kids around Amelia and Bry’s ages. Very down-to-earth people despite their wealth."
"Kind of like Jen and Steve," Kate commented.
"Yes," Jared agreed. He glanced back in his mirror. He’d seen the undercover security car pull into the lane behind them when they’d left the restaurant. It was still there and stayed close as they made their way through late Friday night traffic. It dropped back a bit once they were on the rural roads heading for home.
Another week, Jared reminded himself and then he had to make some decisions.
The house was quiet when they arrived. Jared walked Mrs. Harris to the door while Kate went to check on the kids. After Mrs. Harris’ car disappeared down the driveway, Jared shut off the lights and locked up.
The light was on in the guest room at the end of the hall when he went upstairs. He turned towards it instead of going into the master suite. Kate stood next to the closet hanging up her dress. She was wearing a thick bathrobe and her hair, free now from its clasp, hung in long loose curls down her back.
Jared leaned against the door jamb, hands in his pockets and watched her for a few seconds. "When are you planning to move your stuff into the master suite?"
Kate jumped at the sound of his voice and spun around. "I’m going to have to get you a bell! You’re going to send me to an early grave sneaking up on me like that."
"Sorry, still haven’t broken that habit yet." Jared pushed away from the door and went further into the room. "So, you didn’t answer my question."
Kate turned her attention back to the dress she was hanging on a hanger. "I don’t know. I guess I haven’t thought about it."
"What’s holding you back, Katie? There’s a huge walk-in closet that’s sitting there empty, just waiting for your stuff."
"I know." Kate shrugged as she reached into the closet to hang up her dress.
When she turned back to him, Jared gently grasped the lapels of her bathrobe and pulled her close. She was forced to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. "Move your stuff tomorrow." He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. "This is for keeps, Katie. Might as well get used to it." This time the kiss wasn’t so brief.
*****
Kate leaned back on her hands and watched the kids running around the yard. Jared was in the far corner on the riding mower. Amelia and Candy played on the swings while Bry lugged a bag of grass to the garbage. Kate had finished weeding her garden and now sat on a blanket with Dani.
With a satisfied sigh, Kate closed her eyes and let her head drop back, lifting her face to the sun. At moments like these, when everything seemed so perfect, she was certain she was in the midst of a dream. It was so much like the dreams she’d had years ago of a husband, a family and a nice home. Kate prayed that she didn’t wake up to find herself alone in her bed in her condo in Seattle.
The mower cut off, leaving only nature and the kids to fill the silence. Kate lifted her head and opened her eyes in time to see Jared striding across the grass towards her. Her heart took a tumble at his blatant masculinity. His frayed cut-offs revealed tanned, muscular legs, and his tank top did nothing to hide smooth, sleek muscles.
Jared dropped onto the blanket beside her, sweat slipping down his cheek. He lifted his shirt and wiped his face. "Whew, it’s hot for spring."
"It’s beautiful," Kate contradicted.
"Yes, I guess if I had nothing better to do than sit on a blanket and watch the world go by I’d think it was beautiful too," Jared said, a teasing look in his eyes.
"I’ll have you know I weeded my whole garden," Kate retorted. "It’s not my fault you’re slow at your job."
"Slow am I?" Jared moved towards her. "I think you need a little more sweat to show for your hard work."
"No!" Kate scrambled to her feet and tried to run but he caught her ankle.
"Gotcha now." Jared grinned up at her from his prone position on the blanket. "You’re not getting away."
Kate tried, although not too hard, to free her ankle from his strong grip. Finally she collapsed back down onto the blanket beside him. "Okay, you win." She lifted her hands in defeat. She wondered how far this teasing was going to go and decided to put it to the test. "Make me sweat."
An adventurous gleam came into Jared’s eyes as he sat up next to her. "With pleasure."
He lifted her onto his lap and rubbed his forehead against her cheek leaving it damp and smelling of sweat and his cologne.
"Ewww," Kate dragged a hand across her cheek. "Now I’m going to have to take another shower."
"It’s only fair since I’m going to have to take one too." Jared said as he slid his hand around her neck and used his thumb to tilt her head up.
Before Kate knew what was happening he’d given her a soft, lingering kiss. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. This was the first time he’d kissed her in a casual way since they had been married. Usually their kisses led to something more, but there was no way this kiss was leading anywhere. They were outside, in full view of the kids.
The kids! Kate jerked back from Jared and looked around. Jared moved more slowly, wrapping his arms around her waist. All four kids were watching them with expressions ranging from disgust on Bry’s to dreamy approval on Amelia’s and curiosity on Candy’s. Dani, of course, just sat there smiling at them.
"Yuck," Bry declared. "You’re as mushy as Mom and Dad were. Why do grownups like to kiss anyway?"
Kate turned to look at Jared, whose blue eyes twinkled at her. "I think maybe you should answer that question."
"Thank you so much," Jared said sarcastically. "How did I get landed with that honor?"
"He’s a boy, you’re a man so you get to answer his question. I’ll answer the girls’ questions which means I’ll have to answer three times as many. I wouldn’t complain if I were you. Unless of course, you’d like to switch and I’ll answer Bry’s and you can answer the girls’."
A look of panic passed across Jared’s face. "Never mind, I’ll take care of this one."
Kate sat back in his embrace, curious to hear how he’d answer Bry. She wondered herself why he was kissing her in the middle of the day for no apparent reason.
"Well, Bry, it’s like this," Jared began after clearing his throat. "When a man and a woman get married, kissing is a part of what they do. It’s something that shows they lo..." Jared’s voice trailed off. "It’s something that shows they care about each other."
Kate tried to ignore the disappointment that flared to life. When was she going to remember that this marriage wasn’t about love for each other? It was about respect and caring and loving four kids who needed them.
The moment soon passed and Jared lifted Kate off his lap and went back to work. Kate took Dani into the house with her and began to prepare lunch.
There were no more casual kisses or spontaneous moments of affection that afternoon or in the days that followed. Even when they were alone there seemed to be a tension that hadn’t existed before. Jared even got up earlier than her and went out for his run, returning in time for breakfast but missing their devotion time together.
Was it something she’d done? Kate wondered one afternoon as she chopped carrots in preparation for dinner. She didn’t think so. After all, Jared had started the playfulness on Saturday. But there was no doubt that something had changed.
"How long ‘til dinner?" She was so caught up in her thoughts she hadn’t even heard Jared come into the house.
The knife she was using to cut the carrots slipped and nicked her finger. Kate stifled her exclamation of pain and draped a dish towel over the cut before turning to greet Jared.
His blue eyes were serious as he watched her, his expression bleak. Kate wanted to see that twinkle again. It hadn’t been evident since Saturday either.
"Dinner?" Jared asked again.
"Oh yes." Kate tried to ignore the pulsing pain in her finger. "It’ll be about an hour. You’re home early."
"Had a couple of things I needed to do here." Jared started to head out of the kitchen. "I’ll be in the library if you need me."
Once she was alone, Kate warily unwrapped the towel and stared at the cut. It wasn’t too deep, but it hurt like crazy and was bleeding a lot. With a slightly nauseous feeling, Kate put the bloodied towel back in place and went upstairs to the bathroom.
Her hands shook as she held her finger under the water. Though her work had required her to work with blood, it was usually just a liquid in a test tube. She was no good with fresh blood, esp
ecially her own, and pain was something she could do without.
"Auntie Kate?" Amelia stood in the bathroom door. "Are you all right?"
Kate tried to smile at her niece. "I’m fine. Just a little cut."
"Can I help you?" Amelia came a little further into the bathroom to see. She immediately backed away when she saw the blood and water swirling down the drain.
"No, I’m fine. Just need to clean it up and put a bandage on it." Kate tried to sound relaxed and not like she was going to faint at any moment.
Amelia nodded before disappearing out of the bathroom. Glad that she’d been able to reassure her niece, Kate slumped down onto her knees and leaned her head on the counter while water continued to run over the cut.
She just needed to regroup, Kate told herself. What was a little blood? It wasn’t like she was going to die or anything. It was just a teeny, tiny little cut.
In the distance she heard the sound of voices. As they drew closer she thought to herself she should really try and stand but her head was still spinning.
"Kate!" Jared’s voice sliced through the spinning and pulled her together like nothing else could have. She quickly scrambled to her feet and grabbed a towel. "What happened?"
Jared took her by the wrists and led her to the toilet. He had her sit on the closed lid, then he squatted down in front of her and unwrapped the towel. Kate stared down at the top of his head. His hair looked so silky. How much she’d like to run her fingers through it. Suddenly he looked up at her, his blue eyes intent and questioning.
"What?" she asked, thinking how like the sea his blue eyes were. Would their kids have blue eyes like his? Well, they might if she could get pregnant.
Jared gave her a little shake. "Kate! What’s wrong with you? What happened? How did you cut yourself?"
"Knife slipped. You scared me." Kate couldn’t believe the strained voice belonged to her.
"You mean you cut this when I was talking to you in the kitchen?"
Kate nodded, glancing down at the cut and then wishing she hadn’t. Her stomach lurched at the blood seeping out of the cut.
Marrying Kate Page 9
