The baby chortled and slapped his pudgy fists against Audra’s cheeks. “Au-ba.”
Sam felt a tug on his hand. He glanced down to see the pigtailed girl staring up at him. “You’re Sam-I-am,” she said.
“Sam-I-am.”
“What?”
She launched into a nonsensical rhyme about eating preferences, then grinned, revealing a missing front tooth.
“It’s Dr. Seuss,” Audra explained. “Green Eggs and Ham.” Her eyes widened and she jumped to the edge of the sidewalk. “Look out!”
Wheels rumbled hollowly. Sam barely had time to snatch Audra’s niece out of the way before two freckle-faced boys raced past on their in-line skates.
“Wayne! Peter!” A tall, slim, bespectacled man was striding down the front walk. “You boys get back here this instant!” The girl wriggled out of Sam’s grip and skipped back across the lawn. “Uncle Gordon, I did the pink balloons. J.B. broke one. Grandma!” She changed directions as Constance McPherson stepped out of the house. “Did you see my tooth?”
Constance admired the gap in her granddaughter’s smile as she tied the trailing ribbons at the back of her dress into a neat bow. Straightening up, she waved at Sam and Audra. “Well, don’t just stand there. The circus is in full swing.”
Sam glanced at Audra. “The circus?”
“What we affectionately call a gathering of McPhersons, but don’t let that mislead you.”
He dodged to the side as a soccer ball went whizzing past his head. “Oh?”
“It’s not as orderly or dignified as a circus.” She propped the baby on her hip and gave Sam a rueful smile. “Welcome to the family.”
Sam leaned against the oak tree beside the garage and scanned the crowd. Well, the party had been good for one thing anyway. With all these people around, he’d had plenty to distract him from his unacceptable thoughts of Audra. He caught a glimpse of blue and shifted to get a better look. She was sitting on the edge of a picnic table, a baby bouncing on her knee while she laughed at something her sister-in-law, Geraldine the pregnant one, was saying.
Although she’d been reluctant about staying when she’d first realized what was going on, it hadn’t taken long before she was right in the middle of things. He couldn’t remember seeing her looking so relaxed before. In spite of the chaos around her, she was obviously right at home surrounded by her family.
And what a family. He’d met the rest of her brothers, along with their wives and kids, uncles and aunts and a grandmother. He’d lost count half an hour after arriving, but there had to be over three dozen people named McPherson in this yard. The only ones who weren’t here were Norm and Judy. Sam knew that Norm hadn’t gotten past his initial distrust of him—he hoped their absence wasn’t an indication of trouble to come.
“Want a beer?”
Sam turned his head as a stocky young man with a blond ponytail moved under the tree and offered him a glistening can. “Sure. Thanks, Nathan.”
“I’ve finished entering the books from the last five years,” Nathan said, popping the top on his own can and taking a sip. “I thought I’d set up some links to the calendar program.”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
“Yeah. Mom wants to be able to access my files from her laptop. Thanks again for helping me get set up.”
“No problem.”
“She mentioned you’ll be helping Audra with the wedding that’s coming up next week.”
“Uh-huh.”
“That’s shaping up to be one of the biggest jobs we’ve done, so we can use every extra pair of hands we can get. It was lucky for us that the other wedding we’d had booked for that date cancelled when we got the Fitzpatrick contract.”
Luck? Somehow Sam doubted that. “I’ve already been in touch with the equipment rental firm you use,” he said. “They’ll supply the awnings and furniture, but the client wants us to set it up ourselves.”
“That’s more work for us, but more money, too. I don’t know if Norm talked to you about your salary—”
“I’m just helping out the family,” he said. “The money isn’t important.”
“So you’re doing all right financially?”
Sam opened his beer and lifted the can for a long swallow, watching Nathan over the rim. During the course of the evening, he’d had a variation of this conversation with each of the other four McPherson brothers who were here. “Yes. I had a good severance package from my last job, and it shouldn’t take me long to find another.”
Nathan nodded toward the group of children around Audra. “She’s always been great with kids.”
“She seems to enjoy them, all right.”
“Funny thing with kids. You get really protective about them, you know?”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Well, the thing is, I’ve always thought of Audra as my baby sister. She’s only two years younger than me, but I guess because she’s a woman, I feel I should look out for her. Women tend to get carried away by their emotions.”
“I understand that, Nathan.”
“She went through a bad time a few years ago, and I’d hate to see her hurt again.” He gave Sam a long, level stare. “You seem like a decent guy, Sam, but even though you’re marrying my sister, I’ll still be looking out for her. I hope you’ll treat her right.”
He’d had four variations on this topic, too. Five, if he counted the subtle interrogation he’d had from Audra’s father the last time he’d been here. The female McPhersons seemed to have accepted the engagement, but the men were trying to be more cautious.
That’s what a family was supposed to do, though. They cared about each other, they celebrated the good times and gave support during the bad. And they protected everyone who belonged to them. “You have my word,” he said, holding Nathan’s gaze. “I’ll take good care of her.”
Nathan lifted his beer in a silent toast, then moved away. Sam watched him thoughtfully for a moment before returning his gaze to Audra.
She’d told him she would never marry. She’d been insistent about that all along, but now that he’d seen her with her family, he wondered whether it was true. As Nathan had said, she was good with kids. She had a natural warmth, and if it hadn’t been for her fiancé’s accident, she probably would have been bouncing her own baby on her knee right now.
Was she still in love with Ryan? Was that why she was so determined not to let another man take his place? She was adamant about being independent, and she was determined to open up a business of her own...but she would never be truly alone as long as she had her family behind her.
Sam, on the other hand, was completely alone. He liked it that way. And he didn’t belong here.
He’d known that from the start. Even before he’d brought Audra into this case with him, he’d known they were worlds apart. The warmth and love that glowed from this gathering were meant for her, not him. The fraud he was pulling off went much deeper than the case. These people were all so upstanding, and had such solid roots and good character, they made him feel dirty just because they were so clean.
The baby on Audra’s lap grabbed a handful of her hair. She laughed, untangling her curls before she pressed a kiss to the tiny fingers and handed the baby to one of her sisters-in-law. Slipping off the table, she looked around until she spotted Sam, then wove her way toward him. “Well, have you had enough yet?” she asked.
“I’m ready to leave whenever you are.” Automatically, he put his arm around her waist, splaying his fingers over the curve of her hip as they started toward the house.
“You made a real hit with Barbara.”
“Who?”
“My niece with the missing tooth.”
“Oh, right. The Dr. Seuss fan.”
“It’s hard to tell the players without a program,” she said. “What were you and Nathan talking about just now? It looked serious.”
“Man stuff.”
She dug her elbow into his ribs. “Don’t you dare start. that. I’ve had to put u
p with that attitude from my brothers all my life, and I’m not about to tolerate it in...my...” She stopped, her face flushed as she looked up at him.
“In the man you’re going to marry?” he finished for her. He saw the denial in her eyes and spoke quickly before anyone else could notice. “Nathan was just doing his brotherly duty, making sure I’ll treat you right.”
“He what?”
Smiling, Sam stroked her cheek, his fingers brushing the same curls that the baby had been playing with. “What were you and Geraldine laughing about a few minutes ago?”
Her lips twitched. “Woman stuff.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Not on your life. There are some things that—” She broke off, her forehead creasing. “I wonder what’s going on.”
Sam became aware of a commotion near the house. Constance was talking to two of Audra’s brothers, her expression grim. John moved through the crowd toward her, listened for a moment, then immediately took her into his arms.
“Something’s wrong,” Audra said, pulling away from Sam.
He caught her hand and moved with her toward her parents. A hush was quickly spreading over the yard.
For a second, Sam thought that someone had discovered who he was, that they were about to declare him a fraud and throw him out. But that thought was dismissed as quickly as it had come up. No one was looking at him. Their attention was focused on Audra’s mother.
“I just got a call from Norm,” Constance said, her voice unsteady in the silence. “He and Judy didn’t come over tonight because they’d been waiting for Jimmy to get home. They’d had an argument with him, so they’d thought he was just taking time to cool off but—” Her chin quivered. Pressing her hand to her mouth, she looked at her husband.
“Jimmy left a note,” John said. “He’s run away.”
“Dear Lord, he’s only fifteen.” Constance leaned against John, blinking back her tears. “Norm’s worried sick.”
“He’ll be all right, Mom.” Jake stepped up, placing his hand on his mother’s shoulder. “He hasn’t been gone that long.”
She shook her head. “Jimmy left this morning. It’s been more than twelve hours. They thought he was with one of his friends, but when it got dark they called everyone and no one knows where he is. When I think about all the things that could happen to him...”
“We’ll find him,” Christopher said, moving to stand beside his twin.
The silence was swallowed by a growing hum of questions and desperate reassurances. One of the babies began to cry. Constance wiped her eyes and looked around until her gaze found Audra. “I’m sorry to ruin your party like this—”
“Oh Mom, don’t worry about that,” she said immediately.
“But we wanted this to be so special for you. For both of you,” she added, looking at Sam. “Oh, God. I don’t know what to do. Jimmy will never forgive us if we call the police. But where do we start looking?”
He shouldn’t interfere, Sam thought as he watched Audra’s mother fight her tears. As far as everyone here knew, he was only an out-of-work computer programmer. His main concern was that they accept his engagement to Audra, that was all. He wasn’t really part of this family. Their problems were their own business, and as long as it didn’t put a crimp in his plans to work the Fitzpatrick wedding, he should let them handle this trouble themselves.
Audra tightened her grip on Sam’s hand and looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with worry, her lips pressed into a thin line, as if she were holding back the plea she wanted to make.
It would be stupid to risk blowing the cover he’d gone to such lengths to establish. The kid was probably just sulking. He’d turn up eventually. No kid in his right mind would want to run away when he had such a solid, loving family behind him.
The memory took him unprepared. The cold, greasy alley behind a warehouse, the moldy mattress he’d dragged into a secluded corner, the long nights when he’d been too frightened to go out and too hungry to stay where he was...
Sam had been less than twelve the first time he’d run away. It had taken almost a week for his mother to notice he’d gone. He’d returned on his own that time—he hadn’t been quick enough to steal, and he hadn’t been desperate enough to accept the offers from those well-dressed men who cruised the neighborhood in cars with tinted glass.
The second time he’d left, he’d been more prepared. He’d been a year older, and he’d thought he’d been wiser, but after a month his money ran out and he learned the hard way about poaching on gang turf.
Jimmy wouldn’t know what was out there. He was an innocent. He’d be easy prey for the lowlifes who lived on the street...
Sam clenched his jaw, took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Maybe I can help.”
Chapter 8
Holding a needlepoint pillow to her chest, Audra tucked her legs underneath her and curled into a corner of her couch. Rain pattered against the window, glimmering in the glow of the streetlight on the corner. The living room was filled with shadows, the lamp on the end table unable to hold back the gloom entirely. Over the sound of the rain she could hear Sam’s voice, deep and firm, as he talked on the phone with yet another of his colleagues at the police department. Although he spoke quietly, her senses were raw enough for her to hear every word. Hospital. Morgue.
It had been more than two days since Norm’s call had put an end to her engagement party. Almost three days had passed since anyone had seen her nephew. He had to be all right, didn’t he?
Judy was barely hanging on. The change in her had been terrible to see. Her ready smiles, her quick, flippant manner, all her warmth was buried beneath a suffocating layer of worry. With Jimmy’s younger sister Jennifer staying close by her side, Judy hadn’t budged from her vigil beside the phone each time Audra had been over there.
But if Judy was in a bad way, Norm was worse. His eyes were puffy from lack of sleep, his jaw bristled with unshaven gray whiskers and his hands shook from all the coffee he’d been drinking. He hadn’t said much about the argument that had precipitated Jimmy’s decision to leave, but it was plain to see that Norm blamed himself.
There it was, the flip side of love, that terrible vulnerability you opened yourself up to when you opened your heart. The blame, the guilt, the questions that could never be answered, the doubts that would always haunt you.
Would things have been different if you’d listened more closely? Or if you hadn’t lost your temper? Or if you’d known what he was planning, if you’d picked up on the signals, if you’d found the note earlier...
She closed her eyes, burying her face in the pillow. She knew what Norm was going through. She’d been there herself with Ryan.
Sam hung up the phone. A minute later, Audra felt a gentle touch on her hair.
“It’s late,” he said. “I’ll make the rest of the calls from my place so you can get some sleep,”
Rubbing her forehead, she looked up. “No, I’m fine. What did you find out?”
“Nothing so far. It looks as if Jimmy doesn’t want to be found. But I’ve put the word out, and there are a lot of people looking for him.”
“Thanks.” She caught his hand. “I really appreciate all that you’re doing.”
For a second he started to smile at her, but then he stepped away and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I made a few phone calls. It’s no big deal.”
“Yes it is. I know you didn’t want to get involved.”
He lifted his shoulders. “As your fiancé it would be expected of me.”
Why didn’t he want to admit he was doing something nice? From the moment he’d offered his help to her family, he’d not only channelled their collective energy into an organized search, he’d given them hope.
Audra’s brothers had been ready to jump into their cars and start randomly cruising the streets, but Sam had convinced them to make a plan first. So they’d cleared the children and the leftover food off the picnic table and drawn up lists of Jimmy’s friends
and places where he might go. They’d rounded up all the recent pictures of Jimmy, details about the clothes he was wearing, his habits and mannerisms. Esther and Christopher photocopied posters, Geraldine and Jake took care of the phone and Nathan kept track of all the information they gathered.
Throughout it all, Sam was there, steady as a rock. As far as anyone else knew, Norm was the one who brought the police into the search for Jimmy, but Audra knew that behind the scenes Sam was making full use of his connections. For someone who kept maintaining that he was only playing a role, he was already becoming an important part of the family.
On the other hand, the sooner Jimmy was found, the sooner the family and their catering business would get back to normal.
Was that why he was going out of his way to help them? To ensure that the Fitzpatrick job would go smoothly?
That’s the whole point of what we’re doing. He’d said that to her before, just before he’d given her the engagement ring.
She turned the ring around on her finger, rubbing her thumb over the pattern of apple blossoms. It would be foolish to think there might be anything more between her and Sam than the Fitzpatrick case. Her feelings were confused enough already.
Sam sat on the arm of the couch, reaching for a brownie from the plate she’d left on the coffee table. “I can’t understand why the kid would want to run away in the first place.”
“He and his father haven’t been getting along well lately.”
There was a brief silence while Sam turned his attention to eating the brownie. When he finished, he crossed his arms and looked at Audra. “Does Norm ever get rough with him?”
“What do you...” Her eyes widened. “No, of course not.”
“Don’t look so offended. It’s one of the first things I’d check into if I was the one assigned to his case.”
She shook her head fiercely. “Norm has never raised his hand to either of his children. No one in my family would.”
“That’s what I figured, from what I saw of the way the kids were treated at that party the other night, but you can never know for sure.”
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