Arthur turned his head to look at Seth, apparently testing the sincerity of the words. “You’re serious.”
“Very.”
“Have you asked her?”
“Not yet. We haven’t been dating long. But I will ask her, when the time is right.”
“She’s divorced?”
“Widowed. Three years ago.”
“And now she’s looking for a father for her children?”
Seth didn’t like that question. “No,” he said shortly. “She’s quite capable of raising her children alone. If she marries me, it will be because she loves me, not because I’m a convenient substitute for her late husband.”
“Do you realize how difficult it will be, raising and supporting two stepchildren?”
“Of course. Not that I’ll be supporting them entirely. Rachel runs her own business. And they’re good kids. I’m looking forward to making them part of my family.”
“Part of our family, you mean,” Arthur reminded him.
Seth shrugged. “If you and Mother want to get to know them, that’s fine. When—” He forced himself to stop and phrase the sentence more realistically. “If Rachel marries me, you will technically become their grandparents. If you choose to be a part of our lives, I would expect you to treat them exactly as you would any biological grandchildren you might have in the future.”
“You sound as though you don’t particularly care whether your mother and I are part of your future,” Arthur complained.
Seth’s fingers tightened spasmodically around the steering wheel. “I faced that possibility six months ago, when you ordered me out of your house.”
“I was angry. And disappointed. You knew I would be when you announced that you were leaving the firm.”
“Yes. But I’d still hoped that you might make an effort to understand why I had to do so.”
Arthur remained silent as Seth followed Rachel’s car into the parking lot of a family-style steak house. The place wasn’t crowded yet, so they were able to park side by side, close to the door. Aaron jumped out of his car and immediately took Seth’s hand again. Seth smiled down at the boy, thinking again that he would be very proud to claim Aaron as his son, regardless of whether Arthur ever accepted the boy as a grandchild.
Families were formed through love, he mused. Not bloodlines. It had just taken him a while to come to that realization.
Now all he had to do was convince Rachel.
* * *
Arthur’s presence put certain constraints on the dinner. The children were on company behavior—quiet and shy. Rachel seemed a bit uncomfortable, which Seth supposed he could understand. After all, she must be aware that Arthur was sizing her up as a potential mate for his son.
Seth thought regretfully of how much fun they could be having had his father not shown up. But maybe it was time to get this out of the way so that he and Rachel could go on with their courtship, he decided finally.
“Seth told me you’re a businesswoman,” Arthur said to Rachel. “What sort of business are you in?”
“I own and operate a commercial sanitation trucking company,” Rachel said. Seth heard the note of defensiveness that had crept into her voice.
Arthur frowned. “A trash-hauling company?”
“Yes,” she answered without elaboration.
“Rachel employs three full-time and one part-time driver,” Seth explained, feeling the need to assist her. “Her company is holding its own against several nationally owned companies that also operate in this area.”
If Arthur made one derogatory remark about Rachel’s business, Seth thought, he would never speak to him again.
But Arthur surprised him yet again. “I’ve just been retained to represent a small waste-hauling company in Little Rock. McElroy Trucking. Are you familiar with the company?”
“I’ve heard of it,” Rachel agreed. “He’s involved with a fight over local franchise taxes, isn’t he?”
“Yes. And he has a legitimate complaint. I intend to win for him,” Arthur said with utter confidence. He then proceeded to involve Rachel in a rather extensive conversation about the future of trash disposal and the recycling industry, proving that he’d researched his client’s business extensively, as always.
Seth relaxed a bit as he turned to entertain the children by asking them about their day at school. He should have known, he thought, that his father wouldn’t have said anything derogatory about the business. The Fletchers were workaholics, not snobs. To them, any successful business was a respectable one, particularly if long hours and clever management skills were required. The more money there was to be made in a business, the more it impressed them. Which was the reason Arthur had so much trouble understanding why Seth would have walked away from a highly lucrative firm to start his own comparatively small-stakes practice.
As though he’d read his son’s thoughts, Arthur soon managed to turn the conversation along those very lines. “Did Seth tell you that our family law firm has been in existence since the turn of the century?” he asked Rachel.
She nodded. “Yes, he did. You must be proud of the firm’s long-standing reputation.”
Arthur liked that answer. He graced her with a small smile. “Yes, very much. I only wish Seth felt the same way.”
Seth shot his father a warning look. “Don’t.”
Arthur ignored him as he so often did. “Seth had quite a future with the family firm,” he continued. “A huge corner office on the twentieth floor of a downtown office building overlooking the Arkansas River. An experienced legal secretary. Wealthy clients already lined up for him. It was quite a shock for us when he announced that he was leaving us after less than a year.”
“I’m sure it was,” Rachel murmured. “But we’re pleased to have him in Percy. He’s quite an asset to our business community.”
Seth smiled at her.
Arthur’s smile faded.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” Aaron whispered loudly.
Seth pushed back his chair. “I’ll take you,” he offered, then glanced over his shoulder at his father when Aaron hopped willingly out of his chair. “Behave yourself.”
Arthur only frowned in response to the thinly veiled warning.
* * *
As they left the restaurant, Seth took Rachel’s arm. “I have to take him back for his car. I’d like to come by your place afterward, if that’s all right.”
“What about your father?” she whispered. “Shouldn’t you spend more time with him?”
“I think my father and I have spent all the time together that either of us cares to for tonight,” Seth replied. “Besides, he’s already told me that he wants to drive straight to Harrison tonight. He has to be in court early in the morning.”
“All right. I’ll make some coffee.”
He brushed his lips across her cheek. “Good. See you in a little while, then.”
She nodded and ushered her children to their car after bidding good-night to Arthur.
“She seems like a nice woman,” Arthur proclaimed when he and Seth were headed back toward Seth’s office.
High praise, coming from his father, Seth reflected wryly and with an odd touch of pride. “Yes, she is.”
“You could do worse.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “She could do better.”
“Probably.”
Seth wondered if his father was actually trying to make a joke. It was hard to tell at times. “I love her, Dad.”
“Well—” Arthur cleared his throat, typically uncomfortable at the mention of such a strong emotion. “I wish you luck, then.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m sure your mother would like to meet her. And the children, of course. They’re quite well behaved.”
“We’ll wait for an invitation.”
“It isn’t necessary, but I’ll have her call.”
Seth nodded, though he wasn’t sure how Rachel would feel about officially meeting the rest of his family, especially until somethin
g more definite had been settled about their own relationship.
“Seth, I wish you would reconsider coming back to the firm. Especially if you intend to marry and take responsibility for those children, and possibly more children to come. You would have so much more to give them—”
“There’s more to life than money, Dad,” Seth countered. “Small-town life is good for the kids. They go to a good school, live in a nice home, have friends and family here. And I make enough to take care of them, even offer a few luxuries along the way. As my practice expands, I’ll earn more. They won’t go hungry.”
“But—”
“Give it up, Dad. I was miserable there. And nothing I did quite pleased you, anyway. It’s better this way.”
Arthur surrendered with a disgruntled mutter. He’d always hated to lose an argument. His son was one of the few people who consistently thwarted him.
They parted with a handshake and a tentative awareness that the feud was at an end, despite Arthur’s disappointment with the outcome. They would never be close, Seth thought with a touch of the old regret. But maybe they could work something out.
They were, after all, family.
* * *
“Well, what did you think of him?” Seth asked Rachel half an hour later, as the two of them sat in her kitchen, sipping coffee while the children watched television in the den.
“He’s...intimidating,” Rachel admitted, using the very same word Seth had used to describe his father. “I’m sure he’s a very good attorney.”
“Yes, he is that,” Seth conceded. “He’s not such a great father, but he is one hell of a good attorney.”
“There’s a lot of pain between you,” Rachel observed quietly. “A lot of disappointment—on both sides. I’m sorry.”
“So am I,” Seth admitted. “I spent most of my life trying to live up to his expectations. I studied law because that was what he wanted, but my grades were never quite up to his standards. I even failed the bar exam the first time I took it, probably because I partied a bit too much the night before. You wouldn’t have wanted to be there when he found that out,” he added with a barely suppressed shudder at the memory.
“But you passed it the next time.”
“Yeah. And then I went straight to work in the ol’ family firm. I hated it. I made myself miserable and everyone else crazy. I just couldn’t live that way. I have to be the one in control of my own actions. I can’t be my father’s puppet.”
Rachel frowned into her coffee cup as though there were something fascinating floating around in the steaming beverage. “While you were away from the table with Aaron, your father suggested that I try to convince you to rejoin the firm. He, um, implied that it would be to my own ultimate benefit for you to do so. I suppose he thought I have some sort of stake in your financial future.”
“You do have a stake in my future,” he said simply. “What did you say to him?”
“I didn’t say anything. I changed the subject. After all, it’s not as if we—as though you and I are—”
“I told him that I’m in love with you,” Seth said, cutting in.
Rachel’s eyes widened and her cheeks darkened. “You—you did?”
“Yes. He’d already guessed, anyway.”
She moistened her lips. “What did he say?”
“He approves. He probably thought I’d have a better chance with you if I go back to the big-money job.”
“That’s—that’s ridiculous,” Rachel stated, still looking embarrassed. “My emotions aren’t affected by dollar signs.”
Seth was painfully aware that she’d still never responded to his declarations of his feelings for her. He knew she wasn’t a mercenary person, and that she was being completely honest when she said she didn’t care about his income. But was she still having doubts about his reliability? His sense of responsibility? Had his father’s visit only made her worry more that he wasn’t the steady, dependable sort of man she admired?
Overachieving workaholic that she had become since her husband’s death, Rachel probably understood Arthur Fletcher even better than Seth ever had.
“Rachel, I—”
“Mama, can we watch a video? I want to see Aladdin again,” Aaron said from the doorway.
Rachel glanced automatically at her watch and shook her head. “It’s too late to start a movie now, Aaron.”
“But we don’t have to go to school tomorrow,” he argued.
“No?” Seth asked. “How come?”
“Teachers’ meeting,” Aaron replied, leaning against the back of Seth’s chair. “We can sleep late tomorrow. Mrs. Campbell’s going to come stay with us.”
“Who’s Mrs. Campbell?”
“She’s a neighbor who helps out with the housekeeping a couple of times a month,” Rachel explained. “And, occasionally, she baby-sits for me.”
Seth ruffled Aaron’s brown hair. “Got a day off, huh?”
Aaron nodded happily. “Three whole days before we go back to school.”
“You really should do something special. Why don’t the four of us go for a picnic tomorrow afternoon? How about it, Rachel?” he asked when Aaron’s face lit up. “Want to play hooky with the kids tomorrow?”
“But I have to work,” Rachel protested immediately. “And so do you.”
Seth shrugged. “I can take the afternoon off. I don’t have any appointments tomorrow.”
“Well, I can’t. I’m sorry, Aaron,” she added when Aaron automatically wailed a protest. “I have too much to do to take off without planning. We’ll do it another time.” She sent a reproachful look at Seth as she spoke, silently chiding him for raising her son’s hopes.
Seth frowned. “Surely you can take an occasional afternoon off.”
“Of course, when I have a chance to make the proper arrangements. But not on the spur of the moment like this.”
Maybe it had something to do with his father’s visit. Maybe it had to do with those old, painful memories of all the afternoons his overly busy parents hadn’t been there to take him on picnics, or watch him play ball, or take him to the zoo. Maybe he just needed to know that he was as important to Rachel as her business. Seth set his jaw stubbornly and said, “Fine. But do you have any objections if I take the kids out for the afternoon?”
“Well, I—”
“Please, Mama. Let us go with Seth. It’ll be fun,” Aaron pleaded.
Rachel narrowed her eyes for a moment in irritation at Seth for putting her in an awkward situation, but then she sighed and nodded. “All right. If you’re sure you want to. I’ll make the arrangements with Mrs. Campbell.”
“All right! I’m going to go tell Paige.” Aaron happily bolted from the room.
Seth held up both hands before Rachel could say anything. “You don’t have to say it. I shouldn’t have mentioned it in front of him without speaking to you first. I’m sorry.”
“It really would have been better if you’d talked to me first,” Rachel agreed.
“I know,” he repeated. “It won’t happen again. It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing.”
Slightly mollified, she nodded. “Just don’t make a habit of it,” she warned. “I have schedules for the children, Seth. It makes everything much easier for all of us if I try to stick to them.”
Seth bit his tongue to keep from commenting about her schedules. He was aware that it would take time for him to make a place for himself in this family that had been getting along quite well without him for the past few years.
“You’re sure you can’t take some time off tomorrow?” he asked again.
He thought there was a trace of wistfulness in her eyes when she shook her head, a touch of regret in her voice when she spoke. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“But you really don’t mind if I take the kids out?”
“Not if you’re careful.” She smiled then, just a bit shyly. “My children are very fond of you. I guess you’ve noticed that.”
“I’m very fond of them, too,” Seth a
dmitted, returning the smile. “And I’ll be careful.”
Their gazes held for a moment. Seth fought an almost overpowering urge to reach across the table and pull her into his arms. Take it slowly, he reminded himself. One step at a time.
He was still repeating that to himself when he forced himself to leave her with nothing more than a brief, discreet kiss at the door.
Chapter Fourteen
As had been happening to her more and more lately, Rachel found it very difficult to concentrate on work Friday afternoon. She kept looking out her office window, noting the rich blue of the autumn sky, catching a glimpse of blazing colors from the hardwood trees at the back of her business property, imagining how sharp and fresh the pleasantly cool air must feel outside. Say, on a picnic.
For at least the tenth time, she turned her attention sternly back to the bid forms on her desk. This bid was for a big job, a nearby town of twenty thousand people that was putting its residential trash collection up for private bids after providing city-owned service for several years. Like many small towns, Pineland had discovered that the rising costs of providing such service were becoming too much to handle, and had realized that private companies could handle the business with less trouble and expense for city officials and lower charges to the residents.
Evans Industries had always exclusively handled commercial accounts until now. Taking on this residential route would mean the purchase of a new rear-loader truck, more investment in recycling equipment, higher insurance, at least two more full-time employees. Rachel knew it would also involve more telephone time; residential customers tended to complain more than business customers, she’d heard. And yet there was a nice profit to be made, once the investment money had been recouped. If she was going to expand her business, this was a sensible way to begin.
A letter at the corner of her desk caught her eye. She’d opened it only that morning and had set it aside, telling herself she wasn’t interested. The logo at the top of the professional letterhead held her gaze now. The letter had come from one of the largest internationally operated waste-hauling companies. It was a polite, tentative attempt to find out if Rachel was interested in selling Evans Industries. She knew the competition she gave this huge company was strictly small potatoes, yet steady enough to have caught the competition’s attention. This wasn’t the first time she’d been approached with an offer like this. She’d always turned them down before, never even taking the time to consider the possibility of selling her company. So why did she find herself staring for so long at this particular letter, unable to put it completely out of her mind?
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