Panic replaced Nick’s calm facade, and he hurried his wife toward the door.
“I’m sorry to put you on the spot, Jen,” Beverly said as Nick ushered her out. “But, you’re going to have to stay here till Rich gets back. Carter’s napping so he’s okay for now, and I already gave Caitlyn her lunch.”
“Sure, anything.” Jennifer closed the door, then watched through the window until Nick had settled his wife safely into the car.
Then, and only then, did she realize that she’d just been commandeered to take care of Rich’s niece and nephew.
She had no objection to watching the kids, but that wasn’t the problem. Staying with them meant she’d have to come face-to-face with their uncle, whom she’d been trying so hard to avoid.
Jennifer stayed by the window for a long time. What a startling turn of events. Here, she’d thought she had it all figured out, and this had to happen. Worry, and not a little guilt over the early delivery warred with the excitement of finally having Beverly’s baby arrive. After all, if Jennifer hadn’t suggested that Bev step in and take care of the kids, this might not have happened.
“Where did Beberly go?”
Had Caitlyn been so engrossed in what she was watching on television that she hadn’t even noticed that Beverly was gone? Jennifer marveled at the power of concentration the child must have. She wished she possessed it. Maybe then, she could stop thinking about Rich Larsen.
Wondering how much of the situation Caitlyn had absorbed and how much she should tell her, Jennifer tried to come up with a simple explanation. She finally settled on the truth. She just hoped that Caitlyn wouldn’t be alarmed. Jennifer swallowed and cleared her throat. “Um, Beverly went to the hospital to have her baby.”
“Oh.” Caitlyn turned back toward the television, but stopped in midturn. “I thought babies took a long time to get made.”
“Sometimes babies are so excited about coming to meet their mommies and daddies that they come early.”
Caitlyn thought about that for a moment. She seemed to be satisfied, and Jennifer hoped that it would be the end of the discussion. “My mom’s in the hopsitle, but she isn’t getting a baby.”
“I know.” What else could she say?
“She’s coming home from the hopsitle in a few weeks.”
“Won’t you be glad?” Jennifer would be glad if they could drop the subject.
“I sawed her at Aunt Webecca’s weddy. She hadda thing around her neck and hadda sit in a chair that gots wheels. She tode me she’d come home when she got outta the chair.”
Caitlyn gave a big, exasperated sigh. “I tode her to get up, and we would go home right now, but she said she hadda wait till her legs weren’t so tired.”
“I remember that. I’m sure it won’t be long until your mom can get up and go home with you.”
“That’s what Aunt Webecca said. I just wish my mom would hurry up.”
Jennifer sighed. “Don’t you like staying with your Uncle Rich?”
Caitlyn sighed again. “He’s okay, but he gots too much grown-up stuff here. Alla time he keeps tolin’ me don’t touch.” She drew in a deep breath. “I was only looking.”
Jennifer looked around the room and was glad to note that a lot of the contraband had been removed from the area. Apparently, Rich learned quickly. She laughed. “My mom used to tell me to look with my eyes, not my hands.”
“Yeah,” Caitlyn said and expelled another long breath. “But I can’t see as good with only my eyes.”
“One day you’ll grow up and be able to look with your hands, too.” Jennifer gathered Caitlyn to her and squeezed her in a hug.
It was really sort of fun spending time with Caitlyn and Carter, even if Carter was still sleeping. Jennifer enjoyed the little girl’s chatter and some of her insights were quite perceptive. Why was it only Jennifer who couldn’t think clearly? At least, about Rich Larsen.
RICH DRAGGED himself in off Range 72 much later than he’d anticipated. The Humvee had gotten mired in the swampy muck in the low-lying range, and he and Radar had had a helluva time getting it out. Those tank-like vehicles were pretty good on dry land, no matter what the terrain, but they were damned heavy, and mud was not their best surface.
Ray Darling was pretty new to Silver Team, and this was the first time Rich had worked an op with him, but he seemed to be all right. Radar was sort of a computer geek, and Rich had had his doubts about how useful he’d be in the field. But the guy was smart, and he could think on his feet. He’d come up with the idea that worked.
They’d finally resorted to hooking the on-board winch to a pine tree and dragging the vehicle out through the scrubby brush and palmettos. Hot, dirty, sticky and hours late, they stashed their gear in the equipment locker.
Rich didn’t think he’d ever get his boots clean enough to wear again. He exhaled a long, tired breath. The last thing he needed right now was to have to spring for a new pair of jungle boots.
“Wanna go by the Club for a tall, cool one before you head home?” Radar still lived in the dorm, and it wasn’t an issue if he had too much to drink before he went home. He could walk.
“Boy, would I? I’m about as dry as the Sahara.” Rich shook his head. “But, I’ll have to pass this time.” He shoved his survey kit into his locker, pushed the door shut and spun the combination lock. “I’ve got my sister’s kids with me, and I have to get home to them.”
“Yeah. I forgot.” Radar saluted with one finger and turned away. “I’m outta here.”
“Later,” Rich said.
He wondered if he should call Beverly to tell her that he’d be late, but she’d probably figured that out by now. And surely, Nick would have known about the problem with the Humvee. Rich drew in a deep breath. If he stopped to call, it would just delay him more.
He looked around the section, but didn’t see anyone. He was too tired to check his box for messages. Anything anybody could want him for could surely wait. His clothes were muddy and damp with sweat from the ever-present Panhandle humidity. He didn’t even want to think about the number of bug bites he must have. God, he could use a shower.
Anything on his desk that didn’t involve all-out war could wait until morning.
JENNIFER PACED the living room. Rich should have been home hours ago. It was nearly seven o’clock. He should have been off before five.
Caitlyn’s gaze was glued to the television screen, and Jennifer worried that she was letting the child get away with too much TV. Carter sat in the playpen and gnawed at a frozen teething ring like a dog with a bone.
“Damn,” she muttered, as she looked out the window again. The sun was low in the sky, and soon it would be dark. She’d been through this too many times before with Duke not to know what was going on. He’d stop by the Club on his way from work for one drink with the guys, and he wouldn’t leave until somebody had to peel him up off the floor and carry him out.
Jennifer had thought she’d seen the end of that when she’d ended her marriage.
She’d cooked a simple supper of macaroni and cheese and green beans for Caitlyn and fed Carter something from a jar. She’d even found time to eat the salad she’d bought for Beverly. Food wasn’t the issue; Rich was. He should have been home hours ago.
He had responsibilities now.
She knew that sometimes circumstances would keep the men later than four-thirty when the bugler played “Retreat” and the flag on base was retired for the night, but he could have called. He was just like the rest of them. As long as he thought he had somebody there to take care of his niece and nephew, he apparently saw no need to hurry home.
It gave Jennifer no satisfaction to be able to report that she was right about Rich, and Beverly had been wrong.
She glanced at the clock on the VCR again. It was now officially late. She might as well get Caitlyn ready for bed before she got interested in another program. Jennifer had no instructions about bedtimes for either one of the kids, but surely it must be getting close.
She turned around and clapped her hands together authoritatively. “Come on, kiddo. It’s bath time.”
Caitlyn didn’t move.
“Now, Caitlyn,” Jennifer said firmly and hoped she wasn’t overstepping her bounds. “You can show me how to get Carter ready for bed.”
The girl pushed herself up and trudged, slump-shouldered, toward the bathroom. “It wasn’t over. I didn’t see the words.” She heaved a big, weary sigh.
Jennifer bit back a smile. She remembered using the same stunt with her mom. When she was little she would milk her television hour for all it was worth, and if she didn’t see the credits, her time wasn’t up.
“You’ve had a long day. Let’s get you guys cleaned up and bathed before your uncle gets home.” If he comes home before midnight, Jennifer couldn’t help thinking.
As the tub filled, Jennifer undressed Carter and Caitlyn undressed herself. Caitlyn seemed uncharacteristically quiet, and Jennifer wondered about that. She would have expected more of an argument about the bath and bed, but except for the brief mention of “the words,” Caitlyn had said nothing else. Her face was flushed and her skin seemed warm. But it was Florida, Jennifer rationalized.
Other than the child’s silence, Jennifer had nothing else to go on, and considering her limited experience with small children, she was probably mistaking normal fatigue for something more serious. Caitlyn hadn’t complained, so she wouldn’t worry until she had to.
She shrugged it off and quickly sponged Carter clean in the sink while Caitlyn bathed herself. Jennifer toweled Carter dry, dressed him and put him into his bed. Then she watched Caitlyn brush her teeth.
So far, so good.
Caitlyn crawled into bed without an argument, and despite her brief flash of concern, Jennifer couldn’t help thinking she’d gotten off lightly. Maybe Caitlyn was just an obedient child, she thought as she warmed a bottle.
When she returned to the room, Caitlyn was curled up in a tight little ball and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She handed the bottle to Carter and tiptoed away. That had just been too easy. Something was bound to happen.
Jennifer glanced out the front window. The sun was even lower in the sky, just minutes away from sinking below the horizon. Where was Rich?
She laughed bitterly. She knew where he was. Though she should have felt vindicated now that she’d been proved right, she felt no satisfaction. She wished she were wrong.
Well, at least the kids were settled. That way, they wouldn’t see Rich when he staggered in. Jennifer bent to pick up some toys Carter had tossed from the playpen.
The front door flew open, and Jennifer straightened with a jerk and turned around. She clutched the rubber toy to her chest from the suddenness of it.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Rich, holding his boots in his hands, was grimy and dirty and damp with sweat. He eyed her suspiciously.
Jennifer moved toward him.
He held his hand up and backed away. “Stay away from me. I stink.”
“What’s the matter? You afraid I’ll get close enough to smell the beer on you?”
“What?”
She had to hand it to him. Rich played innocent well.
“You stopped off at the Club, didn’t you? Figured that since you had the home front covered, you didn’t have to hurry.” Jennifer drew in a long, deep breath of air. “You are some piece of work.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. I’ve been up to my ankles in swamp for most of the afternoon. I’m tired, and I need a shower. I don’t need an argument from you.” Rich pushed past her.
He only brushed her arm, but the touch was electric. Why did he do that to her? Along with that fleeting contact, Jennifer noted something else. He did smell to high heavens, but there was no suggestion of alcohol in the miasma coming from him. Could she have been mistaken?
“You’re late. What about that?” she added defensively. Anything to deflect his attention from her false accusation. “Don’t you dare come in all huffy about me being here when you know full well that Beverly’s in the hospital.” How dare he act as if she was in the wrong.
Rich started to say something, then he must have realized what she’d just said. He closed his mouth and jerked back as though he’d been slapped. “Beverly’s in the hospital?” He looked around the empty room. “Something’s happened with one of the kids. What’s wrong?”
“The kids are fine. They’re both in bed.” Jennifer started to explain about Beverly, but stopped herself. “You didn’t know? You really don’t know?” That was a horse of a different color. Jennifer swallowed. Maybe, she could give him a little slack. “Her water broke. She’s been in labor since midmorning.”
Rich muttered something pungent. How the hell could everything have fallen apart like this? he asked himself. He thought he’d had everything all worked out.
Shaking his head, he sank to a chair. The weight of the long day seemed to press down against him. He’d never felt so damned tired. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t think.
He scrubbed at his tired eyes and dragged his hands slowly down his face. He rubbed his eyes again. He was so damned tired that every bone in his body ached.
“Look, Jennifer,” he muttered, dropping his boots. “I’m beat. My day started at 2:00 a.m. and it hasn’t slowed down. I am not going to argue with you. I’m going to take a shower. Maybe then I can think straight.”
She looked as if she was going to protest, then she sucked in a breath. “Okay. I guess I owe you that. I didn’t know you were stuck out on the range all afternoon.”
Maybe he should have said thanks, but he needed that shower. He left her standing beside the playpen.
RICH TURNED OFF the reviving shower and stepped out of the tub. There was no way a shower could make up for hours of missed sleep, but at least now, he could think clearly.
What the hell had happened?
He’d thought he had everything all worked out, and then this….
Thank God for Jennifer.
There were several other reasons Rich might thank the Creator for her, but right now his only reasons were that the kids had had somebody there for them.
He hadn’t actually stopped to think about it before now, but those kids had been through a lot, and he was damned glad that they hadn’t been dumped with yet another stranger. They’d been troupers through all this. Too bad he hadn’t been able to rise above the occasion as well.
Somebody knocked.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry to bother you,” Jennifer said through the thin door. “But Caitlyn’s having a bathroom emergency. She threw up. Could you hurry?”
“Sure. Be right out,” he muttered. All he had to do was finish drying and…Oh, hell. He was so used to living alone that he’d forgotten to bring anything to change into. He looked at the pile of filthy clothing he’d stripped out of.
It was bad enough he’d have to touch them to get them into the laundry bag.
He fastened his damp towel securely around his waist and drew a deep breath. Then he yanked open the door.
Caitlyn skittered past him, her emergency apparently real. Jennifer stood there. Staring at him.
Then Rich remembered he was standing there in nothing but a towel. The thought spurred him to action. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get dressed.”
That must have done it, because Jennifer’s mouth snapped shut, and she gasped as if she hadn’t been breathing. “Sure. Go.”
Was this what it was like to live with a woman? he wondered as he shut the bedroom door behind him.
Jennifer stared at the closed door as if she could conjure up Rich’s image again just by doing so. She had thought he’d looked good bare-chested, but wearing only a towel was enough to make her drool.
She swallowed. Apparently, it had made her salivate. Something deep inside her stirred and ached….
No, now was not the time for her sexual drive to wake up after being asleep for so long. She shook her
head. Compared to this feeling, nothing she’d experienced in the past could even compare. Was this delicious, impossible-to-ignore feeling why women stood by their men, in spite of their faults?
“Jen-a-fer,” Caitlyn whined, her tone plaintive. “My tummy hurts real bad.”
Jennifer shook herself out of it. She was not here for herself, she was here for the children. Not for Rich. Only the children.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m coming.” What had she been thinking? Leaving that little one to suffer all alone?
Caitlyn emerged from the bathroom, looking weak and pale. Her wan expression seemed more frightening than the tired and flushed one from earlier.
“I threw up again,” she whined and pressed herself against Jennifer’s leg. “I don’t like it. I want my mommy.” In the space of an hour the cheerful girl who seemed to take everything in stride had turned clingy and whiny. Was that the way it was when kids were sick?
“I’m so sorry, sweetie. I’ll do everything I can to make you feel better.” Had what Jennifer cooked for supper been the cause of that? She wiped Caitlyn’s face with a cool cloth. “Are you feeling any better now?”
“I think so,” Caitlyn said, but she shook her head at the same time.
“Do you want to brush your teeth?” Jennifer didn’t know about Caitlyn, but she sure would.
“Okay.”
Jennifer took Caitlyn’s hand and led her back into the bathroom. Her skin felt papery and hot.
The child’s fever ushered in a whole new set of problems. Caitlyn was sick. What if Carter got it, too?
There was no way Rich would be able to cope with both children feverish and ill. Her only expert—if she could call Beverly an expert—was in the hospital giving birth, and she sure couldn’t count on Rich to be any help. He was probably even more clueless than she was.
At least, she had a vague idea about what to do with stomach viruses—if that’s what it was.
“Is everything all right in there?” Rich called.
“I think so.” Jennifer wondered how much to tell him, then realized he was the uncle, he’d have to know. “It looks like Caitlyn has a touch of a stomach bug. She’s feverish, and she’s throwing up.”
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