The Family Plan (11 page)

Nathan had figured he and his father both deserved one last face-to-face confrontation, even though his siblings hadn’t agreed. Gideon wouldn’t even discuss the trip, and Deborah had angrily announced that she had no interest in anything Stuart had to say about his actions. Prickly and apprehensive, Nathan had arrived on his father’s doorstep. Fifteen minutes later he’d been sitting in Stuart and Kimberly’s sunny living room with baby Isabelle on his lap. She had gazed up at him with wide-eyed fascination and a dimpled, toothless smile. He had become a big brother again, as devoted to this baby sibling as he was to Gideon and Deborah. He could no more disclaim Isabelle than he could the brother and sister with whom he’d been raised.

It had been mostly because of Isabelle that he had traveled to California several more times after that first visit. He had grown fonder of his little sister, and he’d rebuilt a relationship of sorts with his father—admittedly not the same as before, but still a bond of blood and shared experiences. He’d even come to like Kimberly and to accept the fact that Stuart was happier with her and Isabelle than Nathan had seen him in years in Mississippi.

And then it had all ended in a fiery helicopter crash in Mexico.

Nathan had grieved deeply for his father—a grieving made more painful by the fact that he hadn’t been able to share this pain with those he loved best. His mother hadn’t been able to discuss her late husband’s death. Gideon had become even more withdrawn and remote than before, and Deborah had retreated both physically and emotionally from her family, keeping her feelings locked behind a barrier of hurt and anger.

Oddly enough, it had been Caitlin who had been most available to Nathan during that initial shock of grief. She had been his partner only a few months at that time, but she’d sensed his need to talk about his father, and she’d proven to be a good listener. He’d been careful not to take too much advantage of her sympathy, but the couple of times he had unloaded on her, he had always felt considerably better.

And now he had turned to her again. And once again, she had been there for him when no one else was. It was becoming as hard for him to imagine his life without Caitlin as it was to picture himself giving his little sister to strangers.

He just wished he knew how Caitlin felt about him. There was something about the way she had looked at him when he’d almost kissed her earlier that had made him believe she wanted to kiss him, too. It hadn’t been the first time he’d sensed that the attraction he felt for her was mutual.

Had Isabelle not entered the kitchen when she did, Nathan would have finally satisfied his curiosity about what it would be like to kiss his pretty, gray-eyed partner. He strongly suspected that first taste would have only whetted his appetite for more.

He wondered now why he had waited so long to work up the nerve to make his move. He should have asked her out weeks ago. Now, before he could even take her to dinner, he would have to learn how one went about hiring a dependable baby-sitter.

Leaning over to brush a kiss over the top of Isabelle’s silky head, he reminded himself that he didn’t regret bringing the child home with him. But he was certainly aware of how much more complicated his life had become.

Caitlin wasn’t sure what to expect when she arrived at the office Monday morning. She hadn’t seen Nathan Sunday, though she had spoken with him on the phone a couple of times when he’d called with business-related questions. He told her he had stayed home all day trying to wade through the stacks of memos and messages that had piled up during his week-long absence, and he needed clarification about a few things.

Caitlin had asked about Isabelle during the first call, of course. Nathan told her the child was fine, playing happily in her room with the few favorite toys she had brought with her from California. Because she had spent so much of her short life in the company of adults, she was used to entertaining herself.

The second time he called Caitlin, several hours later, he’d sounded a bit more frazzled. As well behaved as Isabelle was, she was still a young child whose life had been uprooted too many times. She had become a bit fretful and clingy as the day advanced, wanting to make sure she had Nathan’s attention—perhaps subconsciously needing reassurance that this home would be a permanent one.

Caitlin had answered his business questions, then couldn’t resist asking, “Do you need any assistance there? I could come help you entertain her for a little while…..”

Nathan had politely but firmly declined the offer. “You’ve done enough this weekend. I’m sure you have things you need to do, and I have to learn to deal with these problems on my own, anyway.”

Even though she agreed with that sentiment, she’d felt a bit guilty after hanging up. Silly, really. There was no reason at all why she should feel responsible for Isabelle
or
Nathan.

Her arms filled with the work she’d carried home for the weekend, she entered the McCloud and Briley Law Offices Monday morning not sure whether Nathan would even be there. She’d forgotten to ask him whether he’d arranged for day care, but she doubted he’d been able to set up anything that quickly.

Mandy, the latest in a line of receptionists who had come and gone just in the nine months Caitlin had been partner, looked up from her desk with a perky smile when Caitlin walked in. “Good morning, Ms. Briley. I made coffee.”

It was with some effort that Caitlin returned the smile. Mandy made hands-down the
worst
coffee Caitlin had ever tasted. She couldn’t imagine how Mandy managed that feat, since they bought the coffee premeasured in filter packs that only required adding a specified amount of water, but somehow when Mandy touched the coffeemaker the results were always unfortunate.

But since it was difficult to find good help for an entry-level job at an entry-level salary, and since Mandy had other assets—punctuality being one of them—Caitlin couldn’t complain about the coffee. “Any calls for me yet?”

The offices didn’t officially open for another ten minutes, so she wasn’t really surprised when the receptionist shook her head. “Not yet. But I’m sure there will be a flood of calls starting at eight.”

“No doubt.” When Caitlin was not in court or meeting with clients, she was usually on the phone. “Has Nathan called in?”

“Not since I got here.” Mandy leaned forward and lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Is it true Mr. McCloud just found out he’s a father? I heard that little girl who was with him Friday is his daughter.”

Caitlin couldn’t help staring at the younger woman. She was both amazed and dismayed that the gossip mill was already churning out wild fabrications, only days after Nathan returned from San Diego.

Before she could speak, Irene’s chilly voice came from the doorway that led back to the offices. “Mr. McCloud has become the guardian of his young half sister, who was recently orphaned. And I’m sure he would appreciate it if his employees refrained from gossiping about him—at work or away.”

Her usually rosy cheeks going pale, Mandy snapped straight upright in her seat. “I didn’t say anything bad about him. I was just repeating what I heard.”

“Please don’t repeat whatever you might hear in the future.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Mandy looked greatly relieved when the telephone buzzed, giving her a chance to snatch up the receiver and escape into her duties. “Good morning, McCloud and Briley Law Offices.”

Without waiting to find out who was calling, Caitlin headed for her office. Irene stayed at her heels, carrying a thick file. “I have all the information for your first appointment this morning. He’s scheduled to arrive at eight-thirty.”

Caitlin unloaded her own heavy burden on her desk. “Thank you. Um, did Nathan explain the situation to you about his sister?”

“I’m afraid my information came through gossip, as well,” Irene admitted a bit sheepishly. “Mr. McCloud’s aunt is in my Sunday school class. She said she had seen him at the grocery store with the child and very quickly figured out who Isabelle was.”

Betty must have called Lenore almost immediately after she’d put the facts together, Caitlin realized, thinking of the expression on Lenore’s face when she had first seen Isabelle. It hadn’t been at all kind of Betty to break the news to Lenore before Nathan had a chance to talk to his mother. Nor to talk about Nathan’s personal life to the ladies of her Sunday school class.

“Was my information incorrect?” Irene asked with an uncharacteristic touch of uncertainty.

“No, you heard correctly. Nathan has taken his little sister as his ward.”

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have corrected Mandy’s misconception? Maybe it would have been better if I had chided her for discussing her employer without telling her the real story.”

Realizing that Irene must be misinterpreting her frown as disapproval, Caitlin smoothed her expression and said, “No, Mandy and the others should know the facts. Nathan certainly isn’t trying to hide his new relationship with his sister. It all happened so quickly that he hasn’t really had time to discuss the situation with anyone.”

“So this will be a permanent arrangement?”

“Yes, it will. And I’m sure it will require some adjustment on all our parts until he settles into a routine—just as it did last week.”

Irene looked as though she would have loved to further discuss the developments in Nathan’s life, but innate professionalism made her keep her questions and comments to herself, other than to say, “I’m sure we’ll all do our best.”

“Of course. Now, the most pressing matters we need to address this morning are…”

“Having a staff meeting without me?” Nathan asked as he strolled through the door, looking like the model of a rising young executive in his sharply tailored dark suit, his dark-blond hair neatly brushed away from his smiling face. Tagging behind him was a tiny blond sprite wearing a vividly colored plaid jumper and carrying a bulging purple backpack.

Nathan winked at Caitlin, then greeted the office manager more formally before saying, “Isabelle’s going to be hanging out with us today. I figure she can spread out her stuff in the break room while I’m with clients. She brought coloring books and crayons and toys to keep her entertained. I don’t have to be in court today, so I’ll be able to keep a pretty close eye on her.”

“And what about tomorrow?” Caitlin asked. “You are scheduled to be in court in the morning.”

Nathan glanced at Isabelle. “I haven’t quite—”

“Perhaps I should show Isabelle to the break room,” Irene suggested. “I believe there’s some fresh orange juice in the fridge,” she added. “There’s also a TV, if you would like to watch
Nickelodeon.
”

Isabelle looked questioningly at Nathan, who nodded reassuringly. “Go with Mrs. Mitchell, poppet. I need to talk to Miss Caitlin for a minute. I’ll be right here if you need me, okay?”

“You won’t leave?” she asked, looking at him anxiously.

“I promise I won’t leave,” he said, holding up his right hand in a vow. “Miss Caitlin will tie me to her desk if I try.”

“I’ll even sit on him, if necessary,” Caitlin agreed, making Isabelle smile.

Caitlin’s own smile lasted only until Irene and Isabelle were out of sight. “Well?” she asked then, “what are you going to do tomorrow?”

“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I’ll only be in court tomorrow morning. I suppose Mandy or Loretta could keep an eye on her until I get back. It’s not as if she’s much trouble, after all.”

“Nathan, you can’t bring a little girl to a law office every day. Even if she didn’t interfere with business, it isn’t a good environment for her. What do you expect her to do, color and watch television all day?”

“Okay, I know I have to make other arrangements for her.”

Caitlin reached for the local telephone directory. “You should call some day care centers.”

Nathan shifted his feet on the tasteful carpeting. “Day care?”

“Unless you know someone who’s available for private child care?”

“No,” he conceded.

“Actually, you should find a good preschool program. Isabelle needs to be mentally challenged. After all, she’s already starting to read. She’s obviously incredibly bright for her age.”

“Preschool?” Nathan looked intrigued. “Sounds better than day care.”

“Definitely something to consider. Look in the yellow pages. You’ve got a little while before your first appointment. Mine’s going to be here in just a few minutes.”

“Oh. That was a hint for me to leave, right?”

Caitlin had already opened her client’s file. “You’re so clever.”

“I’ll just go to my office to make some calls.”

“Good idea. See you later.” She kept her eyes on the file until he’d closed the door behind him. And then she sat for several long moments gazing after him and remembering the way he had winked at her when he’d entered. Not to mention the shivery little feeling that wink had caused to ripple through her. And then she frowned, shook her head and reprimanded herself for letting thoughts of Nathan interfere with her concentration. Again.

Caitlin had made one good friend outside of work since she’d moved to Honesty nine months ago. A neighbor in her apartment complex, Lindsey Newman was a sales representative for a local manufacturer, and she traveled quite a bit. She and Caitlin tried to get together when Lindsey was in town. There weren’t that many single women their age in Honesty, and Caitlin enjoyed spending time with Lindsey.

They met early Monday evening at their favorite restaurant. Without stopping to change, Caitlin drove there straight from the office. Her dark-red hair gleaming in the indirect lighting of the popular, but low-key restaurant, Lindsey greeted Caitlin with a broad smile that pushed shallow dimples into her fair cheeks. “Hey, stranger.”

Setting her purse on the floor beside her chair, Caitlin returned the smile warmly. “It has been a while since we’ve managed to get together, hasn’t it? To be honest, this is the first night in ages that I’ve had a chance to just relax a bit—even though I have a huge pile of paperwork to go through when I get home.”

“I still say you’re a hopeless workaholic.”