All in the Family

by Heather Graham

  He gave her a quick hug that threatened to break her ribs. She protested with a gasp, kissed his forehead and urged him to get going, promising that she would do the same.

  A few minutes later they were ready to leave. Kelly locked everything up, wondering if spending a night away would do any good at all. They couldn’t leave forever. If the police didn’t get the Peeper tonight or tomorrow, she would have to come home anyway. The whole thing might be an exercise in futility.

  But it was fun.

  When they reached Dan’s house, they found that Reeves had a massive pile of perfectly salted and buttered popcorn ready. He’d made hot chocolate, really good hot chocolate. And hers and Dan’s, she discovered, had been spiked with just a touch of whiskey and crème de cacao.

  They sat around in the living room watching an old World War Two movie on television, and Reeves—who had been in the RAF—told them what was real and what was pure invention.

  She learned that Dan had met Reeves in West Germany where he had been stationed after a stint in Asia, and she worried just a little more about him. No one said it in so many words, but Kelly realized that Sandy’s mother hadn’t just walked out on him—he’d actually been in the service, overseas, when she had done it.

  Maybe he never will trust a woman again, she thought, and then tried to tell herself that she was making way too much out of everything. All they had done was go to bed together, and as she had indicated to Jarod, she was old enough to deserve some enjoyment in her life.

  But it hadn’t been just enjoyment. She knew that she cared about him. That she hadn’t been lying when she’d said, “I think I’m in love.”

  That way of thinking could be very dangerous, Kelly decided.

  When the movie ended she offered to help Reeves clean up. And when the cups and popcorn bowls had been put away, she yawned and asked Sandy to show her to her room. She said good-night to everyone, avoiding Dan’s eyes, and went up the beautiful, modern staircase.

  Dan watched her go and wondered what she was feeling, and why she had fled so quickly. He wasn’t tired himself; he felt restless, on edge, as if paradise were still waiting for him.

  The kids were still watching television, Dan murmured something and went into his office. He sat at his desk in the dark, hiking his feet up on it and staring out into the night.

  Insane. His behavior had been just about insane. Dinner! So much for dinner, he scoffed. But a smile curved his lips, and he didn’t feel a bit guilty. He wanted the whole house to go to sleep so he could sneak around the darkened hallways like a kid and find her.

  Kelly…

  He liked her name; he liked the rhythm of it. He liked the smell of her perfume, and the way her hair brushed against his shoulder or his hand.

  He closed his eyes, leaning back. He’d had his share of affairs; he’d never denied that. But he’d never tried to pretend that something was more than what it was, and that was why he knew this was different.

  It was more than wanting to touch her again—although he was just dying to do that! But he wanted to do more. He wanted to touch her and touch her and stay with her. Wanted to watch her eyes when they first opened with the day, as blue as the morning. Wanted to sleep with his hands tangled in that mass of blond hair. Wanted to watch her face when she bent over her work.

  Wanted to protect her always from evil eyes that glowed in the dark, from anything hurtful in life. No one could do that, of course. But he wanted to be there with her to laugh at the good things, to hold her hand through the hard ones, to stand beside her through the bad times.

  Dan started suddenly when he heard a tapping on his door. He frowned; Sandy never tapped; she just came in.

  “Yes?”

  Dan arched a brow as Jarod entered. He couldn’t read the boy’s expression in the darkness.

  “Sir?”

  “Jarod?”

  “I, uh, well, I have to talk to you.”

  “Come on in. Turn on the light.”

  Jarod turned on the light, then looked awkward, as if he wished that he hadn’t come. Dan pointed to the chair across from his desk. It was old, and padded, with a dent in the seat. He’d had it forever; he took it with him every time he moved. It was Sandy’s chair. From the time that she had been a little girl, she had perched in it, when she came to him with all her hurts and woes. She had never worried about coming to him when he was working; she knew she was welcome at any time.

  She had sat in that chair to tell Dan tearfully that she was pregnant. It was probably the only time he hadn’t really listened to her, Dan reflected. She had dropped her bombshell, and he had taken time only to learn the name of the boy—and then he had gone. To accost Kelly, to meet Jarod, and to realize that things could have been much, much worse.

  Jarod sat in the chair, uncomfortably. Dan kept his feet stretched out on top of the desk, still relaxed, his slightly narrowed eyes the only sign that he was wary. What did Jarod know? How much had he sensed? “You wanted to speak to me?” he finally prompted.

  “Yes.”

  Dan waited a minute. “Well.”

  “Well.” Jarod sat forward a bit. “Well, quite frankly, I’m worried about my mother.”

  “Oh.”

  “That’s all?”

  “Well, quite frankly, Jarod, I’m still worried about my daughter, so I suppose your concern is fair.”

  “You shouldn’t be worried!” Jarod blurted out.

  “Oh really?” Dan laughed. He was touched, but he was also irritated. After all, this was the kid who had gotten his daughter pregnant!

  “Why, Jarod, shouldn’t I be worried? You aren’t exactly gainfully employed; you haven’t got a home to offer her. You could go off and live in splendor and love and poverty, but I think that you’re both too smart for that.”

  Jarod was quiet for a moment.

  “I’m not trying to shove anything down your throat, Jarod,” Dan added more kindly. “I want to help you both—so does your mother. You’re both bright kids; you deserve a helping hand. Nor do we want to direct your lives; we just want to see that you get a fair shake. But don’t tell me that I shouldn’t be worried. Sandy is a baby about to have a baby. I still want to see her get an education. I want to see you get a good education, too, Jarod. You’re tackling a massive responsibility. I’d be a fool if I weren’t worried.”

  “Yes, that’s true,” Jarod replied softly. “But there’s one thing you’re forgetting. I love Sandy. I really love her. I’d give up anything—including my life—for her.”

  Something washed over Dan, something warm, something really beautiful. Jarod meant it. Maybe that was why Dan, as a father, had forgiven them both. Jarod did love Sandy—as much as she adored him. That total commitment they had to each other was rare, and very special.

  “Yes, son. I believe that you do love her.”

  “And that’s why I’m worried,” Jarod returned. He was sitting very still, yet Dan knew that he was anxious, that coming in here had been one of the hardest things the boy had ever done.

  “I guess that I want to know—just what are your intentions toward my mother?”

  The words were ridiculously archaic, yet stated so seriously that Dan resisted the temptation to laugh. He thought about the question with his whole heart and mind and answered slowly. “I don’t exactly know, Jarod. We don’t know each other very well. I want to get to know her; I like what I know so far. I think that she’s beautiful, and charming.”

  “And…?”

  “And I would never intentionally hurt her in any way. Does that satisfy you?”

  Jarod stared at him levelly, then slowly smiled. “I think that you’re falling in love with her!” he said smugly. Then he stood with sudden energy, stretching his hand across the desk, grasping Dan’s and pumping it. “Yes, I am satisfied! Good night sir!”

  He left and the door closed sharply behind him.

  Dan laced his fingers behind his head, smiling. “They’re honorable, son,” he said aloud softly. �
�My intentions toward your mother are quite, quite honorable.”

  And they were; he hadn’t realized until just that moment how honorable they were, or exactly what his feelings had meant. He couldn’t tell her yet, of course. She would think he was crazy.

  He wanted to marry her. To have, to hold, from this day forth. To see those blue eyes open every morning, to sleep with his face against that blond hair. To be with her always.

  He was in love. Jarod was one bright kid.

  * * *

  Kelly had thought she was exhausted, but once she got up to bed, all she did was toss and turn, then pause, staring up at the ceiling and smiling. She hugged her arms to her chest and remembered all the events of the day.

  His eyes…she would never forget his eyes. Never forget the way he had looked at her when he had come up to the shower. How funny. They had said things to each other, yet she couldn’t remember a word being spoken. All she could remember was the way he had looked at her.

  And the way he had looked. So striking, so handsome, so masculine in that three-piece suit. And he had looked even better once the suit had been gone. As a matter of fact, she adored the way he looked. Every inch of him.

  And how she missed him! She wished he was there, beside her now. The guest room had a wonderful queen-size bed, and the sheets smelled like fresh air and lemons. She would love to see him against them.

  She frowned, reminding herself that the kids were in the house. That the kids—who had most obviously fooled around already, with obvious consequences—were not only in the house, but being kept chastely apart.

  What an example I’m longing to set! Kelly thought dolefully. Then her frown deepened, because terrible or not, she want to be with him again. She wondered when—if—it would ever happen. It had been spontaneous the first time, but now she would worry and worry….

  She should worry, she thought suddenly. She made a mental note to call her doctor right away. First thing Monday morning. She’d been yelling at Jarod about responsibility, but so far she had shown none herself. And neither had Dan. They hadn’t been thinking. They had just looked at each other, then suddenly wound up in each other’s arms, and then in her bed.

  She started suddenly, hearing a noise in the hall. For a moment she panicked, thinking of the Peeper running around free. Then the fierce pounding of her heart subsided. This was Dan’s house, and unlike her, he had a top-of-the-line security system. If you touched a window wrong in this place, an alarm would go off, summoning the police.

  But some was moving down the hallway. She could hear soft, furtive footsteps.

  Hesitantly, Kelly reached for her robe and slipped into it, then crawled silently out of the bed. As quietly as she could, she tiptoed across the room to the door. She set her hand on the knob and twisted it slowly. She pulled the door open slightly and looked out.

  There was someone moving down the hallway. Someone tall. Someone with gleaming blond hair.

  Oh, Jarod, you little rat! Kelly thought. She slipped out into the hall, and a minute later he was almost on top of her.

  “Ahem!” Kelly tapped her toe against the floor.

  “Mom!”

  “Jarod.”

  “I, uh, I thought I heard a noise.”

  She heard a furtive movement in the hall behind her and spun around expecting to find Sandy. “Dan!”

  “Kelly, Jarod.”

  He was in a navy-blue bathrobe. Tall, mussed, and excessively alluring, Kelly thought, her heart hammering as she inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of his special scent. “Oh!”

  There was another soft cry in the darkness. A feminine cry. Sandy.

  “What in heaven’s name—”

  Light suddenly flooded the hallway. Reeves, gray hair untidy, face disgruntled, stared at them. “Begging your pardon, sir,” he complained to Dan, “but just what is going on here?”

  “I heard a noise in the hallway,” Jarod explained quickly.

  “That’s funny,” Dan said, eyeing him suspiciously. “I heard a noise out here, too.”

  Sandy laughed nervously. “Noises, noises.”

  “Yeah,” Jarod muttered. “You know how old houses creak.”

  “This is a brand-new house,” Dan reminded him.

  “Oh. Well, new houses creak, too.”

  Suddenly Jarod didn’t appear to be on the defensive anymore. He looked at Kelly, then at Dan, then back at Kelly, his eyes opening wide with alarm. “Mom! What are you doing out here?”

  Kelly leaned back against her door and crossed her arms calmly over her chest. “Watching you try to sneak your way into Sandy’s room.”

  “I suggest,” Dan said, “that we all go back to bed.”

  “Oh my, yes!” Reeves interjected. “Yes, sir. I do recommend that you all go back to bed. To your separate beds. All of you.”

  Sandy didn’t need any more prodding from anyone. “’Night, Dad. ’Night, Kelly… ’Night, Jarod.”

  She kissed her father, then Kelly. She never got a chance to kiss Jarod, because apparently Dan didn’t even like the way she was looking at him.

  “Good night, Sandra. Now!”

  Sandy went fluttering away. Jarod smiled doubtfully. “Good night.” But he didn’t move.

  Dan gave him a quizzical look.

  “Fair is fair!” Jarod blurted suddenly turning to stare reproachfully at his mother.

  “Oh, good heavens!” Kelly exclaimed.

  She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh, to slap her son for his insolence—or to cry. Because she didn’t want to go to her bed alone.

  But she did.

  “Good night,” she said to the three men, then stepped into her room and slammed the door.

  CHAPTER 8

  “Kelly, the doctor is ready to see you now.”

  Guiltily, Kelly set her magazine down and stood to follow the nurse into Dr. Barker’s office. She’d had the most absurd notion after her examination—an intense longing to go running out of the office. She’d felt almost the same way over eighteen years ago when she had come to Dr. Barker and discovered that she was pregnant with Jarod. Small town living, she thought with a sigh.

  She smiled at Joanie Simpson, Dr. Barker’s nurse, and at Jill Hedrin, his office manager, then walked by them to take a seat in front of the doctor’s enormous maple desk. Dr. Barker’s glasses slipped down his nose a shade, and he pushed them back up. His hair was white, but his eyelashes were still pitch-black, and he had the bluest eyes that Kelly had ever seen. He folded his hands on his desk. “Kelly, you look just fine. As healthy as a horse.

  “Thank you.”

  “If you don’t hear from us, that means the results of the tests we took were fine, okay?”

  “Great.”

  “And we’ll take care of that birth control you were worried about, too.”

  She was thirty-five. She was probably the only woman in the world that age who had gone over six years without sex, she thought dryly. But here she was, blushing madly anyway.

  “Congratulations, by the way.”

  “Pardon?”

  “I’m the man who discovered that you were about to become a grandmother.”

  “Oh! Oh, well, I’m so glad. Not that I’m going to be a grandmother. I didn’t mean that. I’m not miserable or anything—oh, brother! I’m glad that Sandy is coming to you. We’ve talked, of course. She’s a lovely girl. She and Jarod—”

  Dr. Barker interrupted her with a laugh. “Oh, I’ve heard all about things, though I’m probably the only one who has! They’re a discreet couple. Your son told me he wasn’t saying a word, just passing out a few wedding invitations when the time was right.”

  Kelly lowered her eyes and smiled. “Sandy is a sweet girl. I can’t say I’m thrilled about the situation, but I’m very fond of her.”

  “And her father, I take it.”

  Kelly jerked her head up to stare at the doctor, but he was smiling at her innocently. “Small town!” she muttered dryly, and he laughed again and waved a hand in
the air.

  “I didn’t say that, Kelly. I’ve just know you for a long time, young lady.”

  “I’m getting on for thirty-six, Dr. Barker!”

  “And I’m closing in on seventy, so that makes you a young lady to me.” He smiled. “Those two remind me so much of you and David. What a shame that you had to lose that man. I always liked him. Jarod is just like him—responsible, caring, loyal. I think he and Sandy are going to do just fine.”

  Kelly thanked him, then frowned suddenly. “Sandy is—she’s fine, isn’t she?”

  “Fit as a fiddle. Nothing to be concerned about at all.” He grinned. “That was her father’s main worry, too. Nice man. I like him a lot. Yes, I like that man just fine.”

  Kelly grinned, she couldn’t help it.

  “Smart as a whip.”

  “Who?”

  “That Dan Marquette. I’ve got some friends in Washington who’ve seen a lot of his work.”

  “Seen…?”

  “Programs at the museum to go along with his projects. Costume and military displays. I know people who have met him at cocktail parties and the like.”

  “I see.” But she didn’t. Dr. Barker was getting at something, but Kelly didn’t know what.

  Dr. Barker grinned at her. “You want to know what I’m getting at, don’t you?”

  Kelly laughed. “Well, yes, actually, I do.”

  “I just think you should take care, that’s all. He’s a man of experience, and you both need to remember that those two children are going to be depending on you. Be careful of how your own involvement affects their future.”

  “Humph!” Kelly said.

  “What?”

  “Humph! And I mean it, Dr. Barker.” She leaned forward, planting her elbows are on his desk. “No one gave me a hard time when I got pregnant with Jarod. I had a great father. But life was tough for us! We didn’t get anything on a silver platter, and morés were different then, too. I had to let an awful lot slide off my shoulders. My God! Jarod and Sandy should be in seventh heaven! They’re getting every bit of help imaginable. It isn’t all worked out yet, but they’ll both get to go to college. Sandy won’t have to balance work with the baby just to send Jarod to school. He’ll still get his scholarships, along with help from me. And as I’m sure you know, Mr. Marquette is in terrific financial shape.”