Payback (42 page)

“You sound like you still have feelings for her.”

“Of course I do; I work with her almost on a daily basis.”

Sandy asked about the book and the movie before eventually asking more personal questions.  “
Caden, you say you’d like to be married, but what about kids?  Do you want children?”

For the first time during the interview, Caden’s face lit up. “
I have a child.”

Sandy was clearly taken off guard. 

Marie sat up.  “Oh, crap.  We’ve been able to keep Jack under the radar up until now.  I guess that’s about to change.”

“You have a child?”

Caden pulled out his phone and hit a few buttons before pulling up a photo of Jack on a horse. “
This is a photo of him.”

“A boy?”

“Jack.”

Sandy stared at the phone’s screen and then turned it towards the television.  On the phone was a close photo of Jack sitting on Jubilee in western gear, including his cowboy hat.
The audience oohed and ahhed at the photo. “
He is adorable, and he looks just like you. Those blue eyes are so beautiful. He looks like he’s about two?”

“He’ll be two soon.”

“Who’s his mother?”

Marie held her breath.

“
Marie Morrigan.”

There was a gasp from the audience and even Sandy was stunned into silence
. After missing a few beats, she picked right back up. “
Did Brooke know you had a child with Marie Morrigan?”

“Of course. My son used to come and stay with us. Brooke was great with Jack.”

“I’m floored. Were you having a relationship with Marie at the time?”

Caden pulled his head back. “
Sandy, hasn’t anyone told you about the birds and bees yet?”

The audience laughed and Sandy joined in.
“So you and Marie took up where you had left off?”

“Maybe we should focus on the movie coming out.”

Sandy looked very disappointed. “
Well, Jack is beautiful, and it sounds like you never stopped loving Marie Morrigan.”

Caden squirmed a little in his chair. Marie saw the change in his demeanor and started to squirm herself. “Oh
, boy, he’s going to say something that he knows is going to cause trouble.”

Jason stared at Caden. “Yeah, I know that
look.”

“
Marie Morrigan is the love of my life and always will be.”

Sandy couldn’t believe her good fortune…an exclusive from the most handsome man in the
world.  Could she get more?
“Then why haven’t you married her?”

“Because I’m the biggest idiot in the world. Now, can we move on?”

Jason turned his head slowly until his eyes met Marie’s. “What does that mean?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

“He’s single, he’s told the world about his son, and he’s confessed that you are the love of his life. I’m beginning to think that something big is about to happen.”

“Don’t count on it. Caden and I have this grand drama that never seems to end.”

The following afternoon, Caden was back on the ranch, but now there were helicopters with paparazzi flying overhead, along with reporters at the front gate. Marie went out to the patio and looked up. Cameras were aimed down on her, so she ran inside. A few minutes later Jeremiah called her.

“Caden wants you and Jack down here for dinner. The caterers are s
erving barbeque for our wrap-up here.”

“How am I supposed to get down there?”

“Have Jason drive you down.  He’s welcome too.”

It wasn’t unusual to have the wrap party early since some of the staff and actors who were finished would be flying home before all the filming was done. The party had been planned for two weeks
, and the crew was looking forward to it. The best food and booze had been bought, and Caden had flown in a country-western band that had just had a hit in the top ten. Everyone was receiving genuine Stetsons and a Levis jacket that had the name of the film on the back of it. Jason and Marie both bet on when the first jacket would show up on eBay.  Marie had two hours, Jason had six.

Marie decided not to go and to let Penny go instead. Penny was excited and had spent half of her salary on a new outfit. When she came down the stairs, Marie was in the kitchen feeding Jack. Whistling at Penny, Marie gave her a big grin.

“Whew! Those guys don’t stand a chance.”

“You better move over, I’m making a play for Caden,” she teased.

“You and everyone else who heard that interview.”

Penny laughed. “Everyone knows Caden Kelly can’t get it up unless you’re around.”

“
Penny!”

Penny shrugged. “I’m just sayin
’.’”

“Get out of here before I wash your mouth out with soap.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time that happened,” she quipped, as she grabbed her jacket and joined Jason who was driving a keg to Caden’s house.  Marie watched as the truck went down the gravel road, the dust kicking up behind the tires.  Turning back to Jack, she gave him a big grin and was happy when he grinned back.

“I love you, Mommy.”

“Oh, you are a charmer! I love you too.”

“Daddy loves you,” he said, his face as serious as
a toddler’s face could be.

“I love Daddy too.  Now, let’s get you a bath!”

He squealed, since having a bath was more like play than hygiene for Jack.

The party was huge.  Not only was the cast and crew present, but anyone in the state of Montana that had helped with the film had also been invited
, and it seemed that they and their relatives had come.  Caden didn’t care. He felt as if he owed the community for all the trouble they had been put through. The upstairs, downstairs, patio, deck, and even the front yard were packed with so many people it took him twenty minutes just to find Jason.

“You brought the keg?” Caden asked.

“You’re going to need several kegs,” Jason warned, as he surveyed the partygoers.

“I’ve already called Ross and he’s bringing four more. Where’s Marie?”

“Home.  She’s watching Jack.”

“Why? We have—” he spotted Penny in the crowd.  “Why is she here and Marie with Jack?” he growled.

“Because Penny’s put in a lot of time because of the movie. Marie thought she deserved a break.”

“Go get her.”

“What? Get who?”

“Marie. Jack. Bring them here.”

“No! For God’s sake, Jack’s probably asleep by now.”

“She has to be here!”

“Marie? Why?”

Caden looked desperate. “I’ve got something planned.”

“What have you got planned?”

“I want to ask her to marry me.”

Jason’s eyebrows shot up. “I knew it! I told her that something big was going to happen after that interview.”

“And she decided not to come?”

“She didn’t know that something big was going to happen tonight.”

“Well, it is
, and you need to get her down here.”

“Sorry, but if you want Marie, you better go get her.”

“Ah, come on. Please?”

He shook his head. “You need to make this happen
.  Go get her.”

Caden narrowed his eyes and flipped Jason off.  “Thanks, buddy.” Taking a deep breath, he went over to Penny
, who had managed to snare an assistant producer and was having a great time dancing. “I need for you to babysit,” Caden yelled over the music.

“No way!  I’ve been drinking
. And besides, I spent almost a hundred bucks on this outfit. “Jack is with Marie, he’s fine!” she yelled over the music and crowd.

Frustrated, he went to the phone and dialed.  Marie answered, “Hello?”

“Hey!”

“Caden?”

“Yeah. Why aren’t you here?”

“Because I think we need a little space and someone had to watch Jack.”

He had to think fast. “My friends from Missoula are here to meet Jack.”

“I just put him down!”

“Ah, come on, just for a few minutes.”

“Have them come here.”

“We’ve been drinking. I don’t want them to drive.”

“Half a mile up your private road?”

“Oh, damn it! Can’t you just do this one little thing for me?”

“One little thing?” It sounded ominous to Marie.

“Please?”

“Fine, but only for a moment.  I’ll be there in ten minutes.”  Marie hung up and stared at the phone. Something was odd about this. 
She was wearing a cotton nightie that fell just a little past her knees.  Underneath, she had no bra on, just her panties. It was too much trouble to change, since all she was going to do was wait in the truck while Caden showed Jack off.

Jack was groggy and cranky, making unhappy sounds in the back seat of the truck. “Hey, don’t blame me; your
dad wants to show you off. It won’t take long and we’ll go back home to bed.”

It didn’t take long for them to reach the house
, which was lit up with twinkle lights all over the front, sides, and deck. There was no one to greet them, so she honked the horn.  A few minutes later, Caden came out with a bottle in his hand waving at her.  He put the bottle down, said something to Ona, who was behind him, and then he approached the truck. Ona opened the back passenger door and started to get Jack out of his seat.

Caden’s eyes were a little glassy from the liquor. Rather than look disheartened
from his breakup, he looked relieved, almost happy. He approached the driver’s side, wearing his black jeans and a black western shirt with red roses embroidered on the yoke. 

Marie rolled down the window, “Only a few minutes…I’ll wait here and you can—”

Caden said nothing to her as he opened the door, reached in and took the keys out of the ignition.

“Damn it, Caden, what the hell are you doing?”

Grabbing her around her waist, Caden pulled Marie down from the cab of the truck and then threw her over his shoulder.

“Are you crazy?” she yelled
, as she thrashed wildly, punching his back.

Caden’s grin grew wider the more she rebelled. “Hold on woman, this won’t hurt much.”

“Put me down! Caden, I’m in my nightgown.”

“Are those bare breasts pushing into my shoulder?” he teased.

Marie whispered into his ear. “Yes, those are braless breasts, so please take me back to the truck.”

“Are you kidding? You just told me that you have on a thin nightgown with no bra
, and you really expect me to take you back to the truck.  Girl, have you ever known me to pass up your bare breasts?” There was a thud in the middle of his back as her fist connected. “Owwww!”

“There’s more if you don’t put me down!”

Caden carried her through the foyer, into the great room, where he grabbed a throw blanket and went out to the deck.  He took her up to where the four-piece band was playing and put her down on her feet. After handing Marie the throw to put around her, he gave the band a gesture to stop playing. The music ended abruptly, eliciting a multitude of groans and then the attention of everyone within earshot.

“Hey, friends, sorry to stop the music
, but I have an announcement.”  Looking over at Marie, he saw her start to make a getaway.  Grabbing her arm, he forcibly held her back. “You see this woman?” he asked rhetorically. “She is the bane of my life.”

Marie’s eyes flashed angrily. “Then let me go and I’ll be out of your life.”

“See?  See what I mean?  Quick-tempered when it comes to me.”

Marie yanked and pulled and almost got away, causing Caden to wrap his arms around her in a vice-like grip. Looking out into the faces staring at them
, she could see the confusion and amusement.

She stopped fighting so
he loosened his grip. Pulling the throw around her tightly, Marie looked down at her slippered feet.

“Now
, where was I? Oh, yes, I was telling you about what a nuisance this woman is. But it’s not what you think.”

Jeremiah, sensing that something personal was about to happen, motioned to the well-placed security personnel to handle the numerous cell phones that had popped out.  Cell
phones were confiscated or put away.

“It’s not that she’s a shrew, which she can be, or that she’s a golddigger, which she isn’t. No, Marie Morrigan is a nuisance for what she isn’t.  She isn’t mine. Now,
for a long time that was her fault. But now I have to say it’s my fault. We’ve both made mistakes along the way. One of those mistakes is the apple of my eye, a wonderful reason to get up each morning…my son, Jack.”  Caden gave Marie a little squeeze, as if to thank her. “But, no matter how much joy Jack brings into my life, it still has an empty hole that’s been that way for almost ten years. I’ve tried so many ways to move on, to try and fill that hole with alcohol, with work, with women, and it’s still here. When I was young, I missed out on happiness because I clung to standards that were unrealistically high, standards which I couldn’t even match.  And as I matured, I missed out on happiness because I couldn’t trust and I didn’t want to believe in living happily ever after.  But I’m willing to believe and I do trust.