A McKaslin Homecoming (The McKaslin Clan) (10 page)

“Who wants cake?” Ava called out from the head of the table, where she was cutting the cake into rich, fudgy squares. A chorus of answers rang out. “I do!” “Me!” “Aunt Ava, can I have the piece with the frosted dog?”

I’m so glad I risked coming here.

Deeply thankful, Lauren let joy fill her up, wonderful and rare, as she watched this family—her family.

Cute, excited Tyler couldn’t sit still in his chair and he basked in the company of those who loved and adored him. Happy and talking to herself, his little sister sat on Danielle’s lap. Dad was shining with pride for his family. Dorrie was holding plates for Ava to load with fat slices of cake and Brice, Ava’s strapping fiancé, was handing out the plates. Aubrey and William held hands beneath the table. With tears in her eyes, Gran watched from the foot of the table.
Happiness was as sweet as the flower garden’s rose scent on the breeze. Caleb and Spence, seated together, were talking about investments.

Caleb. Her attention kept coming back to him.

Dad leaned forward over the table to talk to her. “It kills me how many birthdays of yours we’ve missed.”

She didn’t want him to know that she’d never had one like this that she could remember.

“The last one we celebrated with you was your second birthday. I think Mary got you a pony. You got to ride it once, I think.”

A pony? Her eyes smarted and she looked again at the little boy, so happy and loved. He had a shocking pile of presents on the present table, but that wasn’t his greatest treasure.

“Dorrie and I have already talked it over,” Dad was saying.

“Yes, we have.” Dorrie added as she slipped a plate of cake in front of Lauren at the table. “I can’t bear to think of you in that big city all alone. It’s hardly much of a drive at all from Phoenix to L.A.”

“It’s do-able,” Dad agreed. “Hope you
don’t mind we intend to come visit you once we get back home. Say, maybe we can set aside some time next month to come see you, if it doesn’t interfere with what you’ve got going on.”

“We don’t want to intrude,” Dorrie chimed in. “There, now, you need anything else? More soda?”

“No, I’m fine. Thanks, Dorrie. I’ll find time whenever you two can come visit.”

“Good, cuz Dorrie’s got her heart set on it.” Dad cleared the emotion from his throat. “Now, I’ve got to go give the birthday boy his big present.”

Her dad and stepmom wanted to see her. They wanted a real relationship with her. Lauren blinked hard. A dream come true.

As she twisted in the chair to get a better look at cute little Tyler, she caught sight of Caleb. Talk about dreams. The man had retreated to the shadows underneath the extensive awning above the long row of sliding doors. He’d crossed his arms over his wide chest. His hair, which had been damp from a shower when he’d shown up, had dried with a slightly tousled look. Was he impressive? Yes.

A Mr. Dreamy? Yes.

A hundred on a scale of ten? Beyond all doubt.

But there was something else that drew her beyond his good looks and fine character. Mary’s words circled back into her mind.
There’s no man on earth like a Montana man, born and raised
.

Yes, she’d absolutely noticed that. He must have felt her gaze because he turned toward her with those dark, kind eyes of his. She had to fight hard to keep quiet the sweetness filling her heart when she looked at him.

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to start believing in dreams again.

Just friends, she’d said. Well, that wasn’t how he was feeling about her, Caleb thought as he watched Lauren rise from her place at the table. He wasn’t fooled by Mary’s invitation for tonight. This was a family event, and as soon as the presents were done, he was going to head home. But he’d take with him the lovely image of Lauren looking relaxed and serene and happy. He was glad for her, even if they were just friends.

Just friends.
The trouble was, he could hear in her intonation that she was sure of that statement. Maybe he’d best take his leave now. He opened the slider door.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

He froze. Uh oh. Busted. Trouble in the form of Lauren had caught up to him. He closed the door and supposed he didn’t mind so much.

She carried two plates of fudge cake with bright red icing.
We’re just friends.
Why was he letting that comment bother him so much? It didn’t make a lick of sense why that was eatin’ at him. Because her words were a disappointment to him. Because he knew better than to keep walking in dangerous territory but couldn’t seem to stop, back up and get to safer ground. Even when every instinct he had was shouting at him to hurry up about it. She seemed utterly unaware of his conflict.

She presented him with the larger piece of the dessert. “You look like a man who needs a slice of chocolate cake.”

“Lucky for me that you noticed that.” He took the plate from her.

She stood beside him so she could watch
her family as they chattered over the new bike—with training wheels and a helmet— Dad was wheeling into sight.

Tyler gave a shout of glee. “It’s the same color as a fire truck!”

Caleb chuckled at the cute little guy. “Nobody bakes a better cake than Ava anywhere on this continent. Thanks for bringing this over.”

“No problem. I don’t mind. I’m used to it. I’m a waitress full-time at a family-style bistro.”

“I would have figured you for something else.”

“Really? It’s hard work, but I don’t mind. It’s flexible around my school schedule—”

“Does that mean you work evenings?”

“Every one but Sunday. The best part of my job is that I get these great meals. I hardly ever have to cook.”

Caleb took a long serious look at her. The more he learned about her, the more he respected her. A full-time job. An internship. All on top of being a good student. “That’s a lot of hard work.”

“Some days it feels like it’s all I do, but I don’t mind. I don’t want to repeat my
mom’s mistakes. I got a job as soon as I was old enough to work at the diner down the block.” She took a moment to pause over a bite of the rich cake. “Being able to afford school has been worth it.”

No wonder she was so independent, he realized. She’d never had anyone she could count on. He couldn’t explain why he wanted to be the one she could. Another danger sign he chose to ignore, so he watched Tyler instead. The little tyke was ripping open gifts now, his head bent over his task. Wrapping paper was flying right and left.

“That’s mine,” Lauren said softly. “I hope he likes it. Aubrey thought it was so funny, she started laughing right there in the hardware store and couldn’t stop. She said he’d love it, but I’m a little worried.”

“The hardware store? What kind of present did you get him?” Then it was obvious as the little guy held up a coiled garden hose and a plastic nozzle.

“My very own fire hose!” Tyler could have been holding the greatest treasure on earth for all his excitement. “I can put out lotz of fires with these!”

“What do you say, Tyler?” Danielle gently reminded him in that kind way of hers.

“Thank you, Aunt Laura.”

He might have her name wrong, Lauren thought, but she didn’t mind. He’d launched himself over the few yards and was running, arms out, still holding the hose.

At the last moment, Caleb took her plate, so she could kneel down with both hands free to hug him—and try to avoid being bonked by the coiled hose in the process. It was the tenderest feeling she’d ever known, to have this little boy—her nephew, her very own nephew, wrap his arms around her neck and tell her “I love it! I love it! I love it!” He released her so he could dash back and show his mom.

“You scored big with that one. Good job,” Caleb praised.

His regard made a cozy curl of emotion roll through her. The whole family had turned with smiles of approval to her and she felt like one of the crowd.

One of them.

L
auren had never had an evening quite like this. And the best part was it wasn’t over yet. After the delicious dessert and massive present opening, the men had helped Tyler figure out his bike, although he needed a lot of help to keep his balance. They played with the other toys he’d gotten, especially the new hose and nozzle.

Content, Lauren decided to tackle the heap of dishes stacked on the kitchen counter. As she rinsed and filled the dishwasher’s racks, she tried hard to banish the image of Caleb, kneeling down to uncoil Tyler’s new hose from its package. The man had it all, she decided. Character, faith, heart and loyalty. He’d make a good husband and
father. And that was high praise, coming from her. Was it possible that she was just a little bit more than sweet on Caleb Stone?

“Lauren? Hello?” Danielle was calling to her, crossing the kitchen with her toddler on her hip. “Wow, you are lost in your thoughts. I don’t want to interrupt you.”

“No, I’m just out in space.” Lauren realized she’d left the water running and turned it off.

“I wanted to thank you for your thoughtful gift. Tyler is in seventh heaven.”

“I’m glad he likes it. He’s a nice little boy. You look pretty tired. Is there something I can get for you? Some iced tea? Honey and chamomile?”

Danielle paused for a moment, studying her over the curly top of Madison’s downy head. “You are so like Katherine. It’s too bad you can’t meet her. Next time. The three of them—her, her husband and stepdaughter—are in Rome this week, I think. But she’ll be home for Thanksgiving. You’re coming, right? You’re more a part of this family than you think.”

It was good to hear. Lauren swallowed hard, trying to keep all those pesky emotions down.

“I understand a little of what you might be going through.” Danielle shifted Madison to her other hip. “Spence hated me, too, and when my mom married your dad, I didn’t think Spence would ever speak to me again.”

Talk about inconceivable. Lauren closed the dishwasher’s door. “It’s clear he adores you one hundred percent.”

“Now. Give him time, that’s all he needs. He’ll come around. He’s not the warm and cuddly type, but he’s rock solid and dependable. Now, if we could only find a nice woman to get past that gruff exterior, he might just lighten up and actually be happy for good.” Madison began squirming and protesting in Danielle’s arms, so she set the toddler down. “There he is, scowling at us through the window. That Spence.”

Lauren turned. Yep, there he was in the lawn, on the far side of the porch, talking with Caleb. Her pulse lurched. Why did the sight of that man stop her heart?

She reached for the bottle of dish soap and squirted it into the sink, trying
not
to notice Caleb. The men were apparently packing up all of Tyler’s toys and taking
them out to the minivan. She felt a tug at the knee of her Capri pants and looked down.

“Bup!” Madison held up both chubby arms, her button face one big smile. Such sweetness.

So she melted completely. “Do you want up, little one?”

“Ha!” Madison knew when she was charming and posed prettily before racing on her pretty pink designer sandals to the screen door. She stretched her little fist as far up as it would reach. “Bup!”

“Sorry, I’m not going to help you escape.” Lauren couldn’t help but smile adoringly at the pretty little toddler who preened for her.

“She likes you,” Danielle commented as she began gathering up the pizza pans that had been left strewn on the top of the stove. “You like kids.”

“Sure. I used to babysit a lot when I was young.” It was how she put food on the table, when her mom was between jobs. An ache gathered at the nape of her neck—tension. It was best not to think of those bleak early years.

Madison started jumping up and down. “Bup! Bup! Bup! Bup!” Each word was
louder than the last. She kept on going. “Bup! Bup!”

Danielle stacked the last pan and carried the heap to the sink for Lauren, eyeing her daughter. “You are troubles, bubbles.”

“Bup?”

Tyler’s heavy-thump preceded him as he raced along the porch and skidded to a noisy stop outside. He opened the screen door and stepped aside as his little sister toddled out. He patted her on the head like a dog. “You gotta push up.” He showed her the secrets of the metal door handle.

Madison went up on her tiptoes, stretched as far as she could reach and couldn’t make it. “Bup!”

“Tyler, stop teaching her how to run off.” Danielle rolled her eyes. Amusement tempered her words.

“But Mom! I’m the big brother. I gotta show her stuff.”

“Kids.” Danielle didn’t seem to mind too much. “Wait until you have your own and you’ll see. I have to stay five steps ahead of both of them. All right you two, to the van. March. Lauren, I just wanted to say thank you again. I hope I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“I’d like that.”

“Good night.” Danielle trailed after her kids, watching over them. The older boy took his baby sister by the hand, guiding her safely along the sun-dappled porch.

There stood Spence in the driveway, visible through the rustling leaves, watching over children and mother. And beside him, Caleb.

His gaze found hers, and the distance between them melted away. That rise of emotion and sweet ribbon of tenderness filled the chambers of her heart. No man, ever, had made her feel like this. No man ever made her vulnerable to the core with one look. She really liked this man.

And he was coming her way. Panic shot through her and she flipped on the faucet. Hot water churned into the sink and she grabbed the folded dish cloth from the neck of the faucet. Had he guessed what she’d been thinking—had it been on her face? Maybe what troubled her most was that she didn’t understand what she felt for Caleb. Perhaps it was better left unexamined.

His steps knelled on the porch boards. The screen door squeaked open. As he ambled
toward her, he filled the threshold. The door shut with a muted thud. “You in here doing dishes all by your lonesome? You should be out there.” He gestured through the window where her family was gathering for their goodbyes.

Outside, Dad was swinging Madison up into a big bear hug while Spence watched over Tyler climbing into his car seat. Madison giggled, safe and happy and cherished. Dorrie gave each grandchild a kiss on the cheek in turn.

She turned off the faucet, her spirit tingling from Caleb’s closeness. She dunked a pizza pan into the water and started to scrub. Why wasn’t she outside? Maybe she’d go with the easier answer first. “I’ll go out when everyone’s leaving. I wanted to finish up the last of the dishes so Gran wouldn’t have to deal with it.”

“Your sisters always do that, with a little help from me—”

“From you?”

“When I’m over that is. Don’t look so shocked. I’ve been known to do more than just dishes. I’m single, remember?”

“That’s right, the nonexistent flocks of
women.” She liked that he smiled a little bashfully when she said that. Cute. “I would think your domestic skills would be a draw to prospective brides.”

“Sadly, it must not be enough to overcome my flaws.”

“I’ve only seen two so far, but I might see a third.”

“You’ve been keeping count.” Amusement warmed the bronze strands in his brown eyes and he moved closer. “Normally I’d be offended, but I kind of like that you’ve noticed.”

His gaze slid to her mouth.

Yikes. A shiver of fear shot through her. Was he going to kiss her? Her stomach plummeted and right along with it any rational thought. For one foolish millisecond, she wanted him to. She wanted to know what that would be like—sweet and romantic and tender, that was her guess. She wanted those things. With him.

Then her common sense hit her like a cement truck. Her head cleared. Her logic returned. She realized she’d dropped the dish cloth and moved away from Caleb to look for it.

Whew. That was close. She scrubbed really hard at the pizza tray, even though it was nearly clean. He had to notice that she was rattled and, maybe, draw his own conclusions?

She had no experience with this. No knowledge on the best way to handle this. Or to cope. Being sweet on a man was not easy on a girl. Not at all.

He leaned close. Closer. He caught her hand with his. She felt warm soapy dishwater and his comforting touch. His was the kind of singular comfort she needed. This was definitely not easy, she realized, letting go of the dish cloth, but not of him. But it was nice.

“You don’t want to miss saying goodbye to everyone.”

“No,” she agreed, hardly aware of anything going on outside. “I’d better go.”

“Say goodbye to your family.”

“Yes. Okay.”

“I’ll finish up in here.”

“Sure.” She sounded a little flustered as she backed away.

Caleb took a little pride in that. Was he the cause of her nervousness? Sure, it might not
mean what he hoped, but at the same time, he wished he’d gone ahead and kissed her. He watched her go with a squeak of the screen door, listened to her gait on the porch deck. It felt like she was dragging his heart after her.

So, he was smitten. He didn’t feel the need to deny it anymore. There was nothing wrong with having a tender respect for her, right? It was hard
not
to admire her. She’d raised herself up out of a difficult childhood. She’d done it alone. She was modest and kind and loving, everything he’d dreamed of.

The trouble was, liking her was like running through a minefield. He was in definite danger. He’d been the one to say it. What would a city girl see in a simple Montana man? Maybe he’d have to find that out.

Throughout the goodbyes to Danielle and her kids and waving them off, Caleb stayed at the front of her mind. Had he thought about kissing her and decided not to? Or had he simply been reaching for the dish cloth?

She was clueless. She had no experience with these things. The possibility of his kissing her scared her a little because, to her surprise, she’d wanted him to kiss her—just for a moment and just until reason kicked in. What was that about?

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him through the kitchen window, shoulders straight, head bowed as he finished the last few dishes. He didn’t look up, but she could feel him watching her. Exactly the way she was watching him.

I’m way too interested in this man. Next thing she knew, she’d go from sweet on him to full-out serious in like with him. Not a smart thing. Especially since they didn’t live in the same state.

“Lauren, dear.” Dorrie, arms out, wrapped Lauren in a quick hug. “I’ve got it all arranged. We’re going to lunch tomorrow, my treat. All of us girls will be there. We need to make the most of our time here with you. I figure we’ll make a little notebook with all our information—birthdays, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, mailing addresses. That way we can stay in close contact with you after you head home. What do you think?”

What a nice lady—and a nice mom. Lauren’s heart stung. She would have liked to have known Dorrie—and everyone—so much sooner. “I love the idea. Count me in.”

Dorrie brightened. “Wonderful. We’ll make it a date, just us girls. And Mary, of course.”

“That’s right, don’t forget me,” Gran chuckled from the porch step where she was keeping watch over her family.

Cheerful in sunshine yellow, Ava danced up and wrapped her arms around Dorrie from behind. She sparkled with joyful mischief. “I’m starting to worry, Dorrie. I used to be your favorite, but now it might be Lauren.”

“Yes, love, you’ve been replaced.” Gently kidding, Dorrie brushed at Ava’s flyaway hair with a motherly hand. “You and Aubrey drive safe. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Maybe we should invite Spence,” Ava suggested loud enough for her voice to carry across the gravel driveway where their big brother was climbing into his truck. “He needs to spend more time with Lauren, so he can love her, too. Will you come, Spence? C’mon. It’ll be super-duper.”

Spence tossed Ava a glowering look, did not answer, then slammed the door of his truck.

“I’m just tormenting him,” Ava explained, although it was clear she had nothing but love for her older brother—and maybe a little annoyance, too. “Someone has to. He’s such a Heathcliff.”

Lauren tried really hard not to look back at the kitchen window. “Heathcliff? You mean from
Wuthering Heights?
”

“Yeah, although I’ve never read the book. Okay, and I haven’t seen the old movie. But I get the gist of it, because I grew up with him.” As if greatly burdened and not minding it a bit, she shrugged. “Lauren, I’m
so
glad you came back.”

“Me, too.” The gratitude welled up from her soul. “We have Gran to thank for that.”

“Another reason to love her even more, as if that’s possible,” Aubrey said from her quiet perch next to Gran.

Dad appeared from the breezeway beside the garage where he’d been tending to bagging up the evening’s garbage and recyclables. “Well, I’m beat. Dorrie, you ready to head home?

“I am.” Dorrie sighed, obviously tired, too. “Good night, everyone.”

“Good night.” Lauren joined everyone in calling out.

Everyone moved away to their vehicles, the twins walking toward Ava’s SUV. Rebecca headed toward her compact sedan.

There was only one goodbye left. Distinguished in his summer plaid cotton shirt and jeans, Dad looked like everything a good man should be. After closing Dorrie’s car door for her, he ambled through the gravel. He stopped to give Gran a kiss on the cheek and exchange words with her before he headed Lauren’s way.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, too, right, Lulu?”

Lulu? Was that what he used to call her? She took a step back. She wished she remembered. “I’ll make sure to see you. The time is going so fast.”

“It is, but that’s not a worry. We’ve got a lot of time. I’ll make sure of it. I’m not going to let anyone part us again.”

That was a promise she could trust. Her heart squeezed as he walked away.

The rest of the vehicles ambled slowly down the gravel road, their passengers
waving out of open windows, calling out their final good-nights. In Ava’s case, actually leaning out of the window. Lauren stood rooted in place, watching her family go. Long after the cars had vanished from her sight, the warmth of their affection remained.