Double Take

by Brenda Joyce

Kait sighed. If she were very lucky, some of Sam’s behavior might be attributed to adolescence and hormones. “Where is everyone?”

  Not turning, not even moving one muscle, Sam said, quite clearly, “Dad went out. To dinner. In Middleburg. With Alicia.”

  Kait’s heart seemed to stop. “What?”

  Sam slowly faced her. She seemed amused. “You know. Alicia. Your best friend. Alicia, who usually goes to New York with you—who actually spends more than you when you two go shopping.”

  Lana had mentioned a best friend named Alicia in her letter, but it had been two sentences—Alicia was a redhead who tended to drop by on whim and she was married to John Davison.

  Kait was worried now. “But Alicia didn’t come to New York with me this time,” she said slowly.

  “Nope.” Sam grinned. “Guess she had stuff to do here—like have dinner with Dad.”

  Surely Sam was not implying what Kait thought she was. Surely Trev Coleman had too much decency to have an affair with his wife’s best friend—and throw it in her face! “So they’re really having dinner together?”

  Sam sighed. “John is with them, hello!”

  Kait was flooded with relief. “Oh.”

  “Dad doesn’t cheat. Unlike other people.” Sam gave her a hard look.

  Kait didn’t like what the girl was implying. She ignored the comment. “Have you eaten?”

  She was incredulous now. “Have I eaten? I had pizza after school.” She turned away.

  “Where is Marni? Where’s Elizabeth?”

  “Marni is in bed. It’s her bedtime.” Sam gave her a look. “What planet did you come from? And how come you’re not wearing lipstick? Where are your high heels?”

  Kait stepped forward, but she was aware of flushing. This was not the first time Lana’s family had remarked on the little details that differentiated Kait’s style from her sister’s. Kait knew she was really tired, and she resolved to be more stringent with herself tomorrow. “That’s enough. Your rudeness is uncalled for. I may not be the best stepmother in the world, but maybe it’s time to start over—maybe it’s time I had another chance.”

  “Yeah, right.” Sam turned away.

  “I want a second chance, Sam.”

  Sam didn’t answer.

  Kait stared at her narrow shoulders, and then walked out, closing the door behind her. A moment later she heard the television blasting. She shuddered. Developing a relationship with Sam would be a difficult task, oh yes. But it was something she realized she wanted to do—that she had to do.

  Fear pierced through her. She forced it away.

  Farther down the hall, a bedroom door was open. Kait went to it, and saw Elizabeth seated at the foot of a small bed, Marni tucked up under the covers. They both saw Kait at once.

  “Mommy! Where have you been?” Marni cried, tears streaking her face.

  Kait rushed forward, horrified that her disappearance had caused Marni’s distress. “Honey, I feel asleep outside in the grass,” she said, taking her into her arms.

  She heard Elizabeth snort, as if in disbelief.

  “I thought you left, back to the city,” Marni cried, near fresh tears.

  “I would never leave without telling you,” Kait soothed, stroking her long, curly hair.

  Marni looked deeply into her eyes.

  “I mean it. I love you, and I would never do such a thing.”

  Marni began to smile. “We had such a fun day,” she whispered.

  “I know. But we’ll have lots more fun days, just like today,” Kait said. And the moment the words were out, she froze.

  This child thought she was her mother. Yet she also knew she wasn’t Lana. What would happen when they tried to explain the truth to Marni? Just how on earth could they explain what they had done? And how would Marni react? And if Trev Coleman was furious with her, Kait, for this pretense, just how many more days did she have to spend with her niece?

  The realization that when Lana came home there probably wouldn’t be a fairy-tale ending to their deception was like a blow between the eyes.

  Real nausea accompanied it.

  Kait had finally found the family and home she had longed for ever since her mother had died when she was a child. She couldn’t lose it all now. The concept was unbearable.

  “Mommy?”

  Kait forced a smile. She let her hand slide down to the child’s nape. “Tomorrow will be a fun day,” she said, and she was aghast, because her tone was as thick as her heart was sick.

  Marni smiled and settled down in her bed. Kait tucked the covers around her. “I’ll come and check on you later,” she whispered, kissing her soft cheek.

  Marni nodded, her eyes already closed.

  Outside in the hall, Elizabeth confronted her. “I don’t like this,” she snapped.

  Kait couldn’t take much more—it had been an endless day. “You’re up to something, and whatever it is, it can’t be good. But I won’t stand by and watch you hurt that child,” she continued. “Do you think he’ll change his mind if you become a real mother now?” she demanded.

  “Have you made supper?” Kait asked calmly.

  Elizabeth started. “I assumed you’d eat the tuna you did not have for lunch. I am going to bed. Good night.” She marched up the hall and went up the stairs.

  Kait sagged against the wall. Is that what Elizabeth thought? That she was using Marni in order to change Trev’s mind about the divorce? Oh, God! What if she were making a bad situation worse?

  But Lana’s life was in danger, and so was Marni’s. Kait would move heaven and earth to protect them both.

  And Lana would be home either late tomorrow or first thing the day after.

  Kait tried to think. And then the world at Fox Hollow might very well blow up in all of their faces.

  Kait fought for composure. Only one thing seemed clear. She had a day or a day and a half at most to try to soften up Trev Coleman, to try to save her sister’s marriage, and mend the many fences she had torn down.

  But what was the point?

  The point was that she desperately wanted to mend all of the fences Lana had broken, just as she couldn’t bear the thought of Lana losing Fox Hollow, Trev Coleman, and her daughter.

  Kait closed her eyes, trembling. But it wasn’t her place to repair and heal Lana’s relationships within her family. And in a day or two, she was going to have to leave, because Lana was going to return and all hell would break loose when Trev Coleman learned what the two sisters had been up to.

  Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? Why hadn’t her sister thought of this? Why had she, Kait, so blithely accepted her sister’s promise that once she returned, they would finally be real sisters and real friends, and that Kait would become a part of her family?

  Kate refused to think that Lana had been manipulating her with her promises.

  But there was a bottom line. There was one fact that Kait knew for sure, beyond any doubt.She didn’t want to leave Fox Hollow.

  Not tomorrow, and not the day after that, not ever.

  The realization was brutal.

  She didn’t want to leave. She loved Fox Hollow. She loved Marni. She wanted to be accepted, by Trev, by Sam, and even by grouchy old Elizabeth. She wanted to be a real part of this family.

  But there was more. She didn’t want to leave because she wanted Lana’s life to be hers.

  CHAPTER 4

  It was impossible, Kait thought, stunned. She turned and made her way downstairs, not seeing where she was going. She hadn’t even been at Fox Hollow for an entire day. Yet she wanted Lana’s life?

  Yes. She did. And it didn’t matter that Trev hated her, because he didn’t hate her, he hated Lana. And that was hardly the same thing.

  Kait felt as if she’d been struck between the eyes. Had her own life become so miserable that she could step into her sister’s shoes and want what she had so quickly, so badly?

  She paused to reflect, because her life wasn’t miserable. It was just... empty.

&
nbsp; Her own life had been empty for years, and Fox Hollow was a magical place, and there was Marni, whom she adored as if she were her own daughter, and of course, there was Trev Coleman....

  But she mustn’t allow her thoughts to go there. Trev Coleman belonged to Lana, and rightfully so.

  And in that moment, she made a decision. In two days, Lana was coming home—to Fox Hollow, to Trev, to Marni. Amazingly, the concept somehow was painful. But it was a fact. Hard and cold. And when she did return, Kait would fight to her very last breath to mend every single rift Lana had created in the Coleman family. No matter how terrible the fallout from their deception, Kait would stand strong— especially when it came to Trev Coleman. Somehow, she would become a part of this family. As for the divorce, she would do everything she could to convince Lana to fight for her marriage. If she could—and she was determined as she had never been determined before—she was going to try to help Trev and Lana find the love they had once had. Surely her sister still loved Trevor Coleman, no matter what they were now going through. Kait knew Lana had not married him for his money. In the end, she and Lana would be friends as well as sisters, and Trev Coleman would be a friend as well as her brother-in-law.

  And she was not returning to New York.

  She was staying in Three Falls.

  She had savings; she would quit her job and buy a sweet old house somewhere in Skerrit County, so she wouldn’t be too far from Marni. She had always wanted to work from home, and it was time to seriously think about starting a small home business. For the moment she could freelance as an editor—she had so many connections in publishing from her first job as an editorial assistant.

  That decision made, she felt lighter, freer, than she had in years. Kait walked into the kitchen, trembling but relieved. And surely she could get her sister’s marriage back on track. Once they had been so happy; she had seen the photos, she had seen the proof.

  Had Lana returned her calls?

  Kait hit the wall switch and dug her cell out of her pocket. She turned it on and was dismayed to see that she had no messages.

  There was nothing Kait could do now except wait for a return call or Lana’s return home. She opened the refrigerator and was faced with a platter of rare tuna that looked, well, raw. In Manhattan she enjoyed sushi, but now it was as unappealing as diet Jell-O. She slammed the door shut.

  Elizabeth had gone up to her room. Sam was holed up in her bedroom and Marni was asleep. Trev was dining out with the Davisons. Kait did not want to think about what would happen when he came home, so she shoved him out of her thoughts. She had seen a small shopping center on Highway 152 just before the turnoff to Northwoods Road, the country road where Fox Hollow was located. And there had been a pizzeria right there.

  Nothing would be more comforting after this day than a pepperoni pizza and a few glasses of hearty red wine. Unfortunately, she would not be dining in her pajamas in her cozy living room, cross-legged on the floor, her back against her sofa with Larry King Live for company and the taxis outside blaring their horns. Unfortunately, she would be dining alone in Trev Coleman’s huge house. Kait realized she was still shaken. She really needed an escape, but she wasn’t going to get one. Not as long as she was posing as her sister.

  She retrieved her purse, threw on one of Lana’s beautiful leather jackets, and hurried outside and to the car. The grounds around the house were not lit, but there were front lights on the porch. It seemed stunningly dark, and except for the cacophony of crickets, so oddly quiet. New York never slept, but the darkness and quiet of the country night was splendid. Kait paused before climbing into the car, gazing up at a sky filled with brilliant stars. Who needed Larry King? Somehow she would make a cocoon for herself in the living room, and by morning, she would be fully up to the task at hand.

  After all, she had been accepted as Lana; the worst was over.

  A few minutes later she wanted to take back her thoughts. Driving at night in a city that was brilliantly illuminated, or on a city highway, was one thing, and trying to maneuver the Porsche down the hill in the blackness of the country night another. The first curve was sharper than Kait had recalled, and the Porsche went right off the road into a ditch.

  Kait was so stunned for a moment she just sat there, panting. Then realized the little car had its two right wheels, front and back, in a deep rut, its two left wheels still on the drive. She had stalled out because of the abrupt stop, so she started the ignition. Carefully, she tried to drive back onto the driveway.

  The Porsche groaned and rocked and did not move up and over the side of the road.

  Kait stopped the attempt. She couldn’t believe it. She turned on the interior lights and opened the dash—no flashlight. She looked in the side pockets of her door—as clean as a whistle. Ditto for the passenger door.

  She got out, stumbling on the uneven ground, and instantly saw how precariously the car was angled between the drive and the ditch. The latter was two feet deep and muddy. She was a weekend driver at best—that is, she simply did not have the skill to get the sports car out of the ditch and back onto the road.

  “Damn,” she said. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. Then she stiffened. Walking up the driveway toward her was a man.

  She glanced back at the house, but it was too far away for anyone there to be of any help—should she need it. She quickly moved to the trunk and threw open the lid. She tore off the compartment cover and withdrew a huge and heavy tire jack. It was about half past eight, so it wasn’t that late, but who could be wandering about in the dark on Fox Hollow property?

  The man didn’t rush and he didn’t slow. Kait stood by the trunk, unmoving, watching warily, as he came into the glare of the headlights. It was the workman, Max Zara.

  Unfortunately, she was relieved.

  “Gotta problem?” he said.

  “I obviously do,” she returned, throwing the jack into the trunk and slamming down the lid. “Do you think you can help me?” Anxiety filled her tone. She dearly hoped she had not damaged Lana’s beautiful car.

  He seemed to study her in the dark. “Nice night for a... drive.”

  She stared back. He seemed to find her situation amusing, and she did not like his innuendo. “I was on my way out to get something to eat,” she said, trying to remain civil. “Is there a reason you don’t like me, Max?”

  He seemed taken aback. Then he laughed. “Like you damn well don’t know,” he said.

  She didn’t know. “Let’s bury the hatchet.”

  “Like hell. If I get your car on the road, what are you going to do for me?”

  She froze. Then, “I beg your pardon?”

  He grinned. “You heard.”

  “I have to do something in return for your helping a woman in distress?” She was aghast; and what had she ever done to make him dislike her so?

  He came closer. Kait stiffened. Tonight, he wore a flannel shirt hanging open over a men’s white cotton undershirt. “I don’t like teases, Mrs. Coleman. Never have, never will.”

  He was calling her a tease?

  He was so close now that she could clearly see his expression, and she saw his sudden skepticism. “What’s this? You seem surprised to have a spade called a spade. I’m real tired of you eyeballing me and sashaying around in those skinny pants of yours. I’m tired of you asking me to fix this and fix that just so you can do those funny yoga poses with an audience of one.” He put two hands on his hips and from his expression, he was clearly getting worked up. “Now you just happen to drive off of the road,” he said.

  “You’re nuts!” At least she now knew that Lana had not yet slept with Max. And the fact that she was so relieved told her she’d been worried to death about it. “Just forget it!” she snapped, and she turned, about to walk back to the house.

  He seized her wrist and whirled her around so quickly that she fell against his chest. “Time to make good, Mrs. Coleman, on all you been offering up,” he said softly, his breath, which was scented with beer, feather
ing her cheek.

  “I’m not making good on anything—and I have no interest in you or anyone other than my husband!” Kait cried, for one moment aware of his superior brute strength. She yanked her arm back and he let her go. She stumbled, then quickly backed up. “How dare you!” She was shaken to the core.

  “That was a test, Mrs. Coleman, and guess what? You passed,” he snarled. “But what I’m damned if I can’t figure out is why.”

  Kait was close to tears. “I’ll walk,” she said furiously. “And I’ll call a tow truck!”

  But before she could move, he said softly “I can’t wait to bring you down.”

  She froze. Had she heard him correctly?

  He smiled, but it was an expression that told her that he was the hunter and she the prey.

  Fear filled Kait. And what had he just meant? “I can have you fired for this.”

  He laughed. “I don’t think so.”

  She wished, desperately, that she knew what was going on. Because clearly, something was going on—and she felt certain there was more to the conflict between them than Lana’s flirtation.

  He eyed her, then turned and slid into the car. Instantly, Kait leapt away from it, and a moment later he had the Porsche sitting pretty in the center of the driveway.

  She was shaking as he stepped out of the car. “Don’t let any bed bugs bite,” he said, not nicely.

  She ignored the innuendo. “Thank you for helping me with the car,” she managed.

  His gaze narrowed with suspicion.

  She managed a smile and slid into the car, slamming the door closed. Inside, she hardly felt safe. She knew he was staring at her now. She kept her eyes on the road and drove away.

  One quick glance in her rearview mirror showed her that he was still standing there in the center of the road, staring after her.

  The road was deserted. It was eerie, but Kait knew that was only because of the unpleasant encounter with Zara. She did not want to think about him now, hurrying a bit as she drove, anticipating the lights of the highway. But avoiding a distinctly bitter memory of their recent exchange was impossible. She remained unnerved, even frightened.