The Baby Invasion (Destiny Bay-Baby Dreams) (16 page)

“Cathy, listen to me.” He was more firm now, his voice low and rough. He took her by the shoulders and gazed intensely into her eyes. “We can’t do this. Not here. Not now.”

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with trust.

He groaned and tangled his hand in her hair.
 

“I told you I want to be honest, and that’s what I’m going to be.”
 

His gaze caressed her face, taking in every detail. “Cathy, I want you. I want to make love to you. I want it so badly, it’s like a fire in my guts. It’s driving me crazy.”

She was shaking, ever so slightly. “I know,” she said softly. “Scott, I know.” Her hand reached up to touch his cheek and her eyes shone with her feelings.

His hand covered hers and held it to his chest.
 

“But this isn’t the right place, the right time,” he went on. “I know you’re vulnerable. I can tell it’s been a long, long time since you’ve...”

She nodded and waited to hear what else he had to say.

“You’ve got three children, so this might sound a little odd. But... I don’t think you’re very experienced. Are you?”

She searched his gaze, puzzled.

He nodded. “I can tell. And much as I want you, I don’t think you’re ready.”

Didn’t he know? Couldn’t he tell that she was so close to loving him? She went up on her elbow to look down at him, trailing her fingers down the cords of his neck. How could she let him know it was all right? She knew he didn’t want love, not in the “forever” sense of the word. And after her knowing the man only two days, most people would have said she couldn’t possibly feel that strongly yet. But she knew. She’d only been in love once before, and she was sure.

Once they got back to real life, this would fade. She knew that as surely as she knew her name. The two of them had different needs, different goals in life. Those differences would pull them apart eventually. There was no hope for a future. If they were to have anything together, it had to be now. There was no tomorrow.

Could she accept that? No, not really. But she would have to. Could she open herself to him now, give him everything she had to give, take from him all he would offer? She never would have dreamed she could do this sort of thing. It wasn’t in character for her to be so hasty, so careless.

But it wasn’t carelessness. She knew that. It was caring too much that drove her to want him now, to want to take a part of him with her forever.

Her fingers curled around the top button of his shirt and began to work it free. “Do you always give women this lecture?” she asked softly, her eyes shining with tamed laughter. “Or do you find me especially virginal for some reason?”

His eyebrow rose in surprise, and by the time it lowered again, she had three buttons undone and her hand was sliding inside his shirt. His dark eyes glittered.
 

“Cathy, are you sure?”

“Sssshhhh,” Leaning over him, she put a finger to his lips. If he only knew how much his concern touched her. She wasn’t used to this, to having a man think of her before himself. It made her want to please him all the more.
 

“Scott, don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”

He reached up and pulled her finger away so he could speak. “But Cathy, I want to make sure you understand this. I mean, you’re a ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ sort of woman and I’m a---”

She laughed softly, easing herself on top of him, sliding to rest her hips between his legs. “Scott,” she murmured, her voice low and husky, “you talk too much.”

She didn’t have to tell him again. His mouth sought hers and the desire that had been budding between them from the first time they had seen one another burst into bloom.
 

His hands were moving across her back, thrusting under her sweater to loosen her bra. They explored her, journeying down to search beneath the belt of her slacks, going from the top of her backbone to her bottom, as though to claim all of her.

Dappled sunlight fell on her breasts as he exposed them to the mountain air.
 
More dappled sunlight caressed his naked skin as he revealed his hard, muscular body to her.
 
She gasped and reached for him.
 
He was hers, at least for the moment.
 

He suddenly seemed weightless when he joined with her. Her body took wings. Her breathing was ragged, hard, but full of joy. He surged in her again and again and she clung to him, riding the whirlwind now, sailing into an intense ecstasy.

Spent, she lay back, panting. He lay beside her, groaning with pleasure.

“I take it back,” he muttered when the ability to speak had returned to his throat. “You’re definitely not virginal.”

She laughed. This was what life could be like. So she laughed. Because now, at least, she’d had a taste of Eden.

Charity was waiting at the back door for their return. They’d walked up from the lake, arm in arm, carrying the picnic basket and stopping to examine rocks and mosses and clumps of lacy ferns. Scott had woven wildflowers in Cathy’s hair, and she was under the happy spell of their lovemaking. But when she saw Charity’s face, concern took over, blotting out contentment.

“What is it?”
 

Even though she didn’t know Charity well, she knew an expression of apprehension when she saw one. Her blood froze and fear flashed through her. “What happened? Are the children all right?”

Charity put a hand on her arm. “The children are fine. Don’t worry about them. But there’s been... a slight... disturbance while you were gone.”

Before she could go on, the back door opened and a uniformed police officer stood in the doorway, filling it with his commanding presence.
 

“Scott Carrington?” he asked brusquely, glaring down at Scott. “Are you Scott Carrington?”

Scott disentangled himself from Cathy and stood facing the man, his legs spread, his eyes narrowed, the picture of wary readiness. Watching, Cathy wanted to step in between them and diffuse whatever was building here with her feminine instinct for conciliation.
 

“Scott,” she whispered, reaching to touch him. “Please.”

He ignored her, his chin lifting with masculine arrogance.
 

“I’m Scott Carrington,” he answered evenly. “What’s the problem, Officer?”

The man didn’t answer right away. Looking down at a piece of paper he held in his hand, he went on. “And is this lady with you one Cathy Feenstra of Destiny Bay, California?”

“Yes.”

He looked up, staring first at one of them, then the other. “Are you all right, Mrs. Feenstra?” he asked at last.

She blinked in surprise. “Y-yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“We’ve had a report of a kidnapping. Mr. Carrington. I’m going to have to ask you a few questions.”

For seconds, Scott and Cathy were both speechless, then they both tried to explain at once. The policeman put up a hand.
 

“Let’s go inside,” he said sternly. “I’d like to hear your explanations. One by one.”

Scott entered the building, walking beside the policeman and beginning his explanation right away, pulling out identification and talking fast. Cathy came behind with Charity.

“I’ve been telling Officer Mike he has it all wrong,” Charity whispered as they walked into the dining area.

But Cathy wasn’t listening. Her mind was wildly going over possibilities. Could Robby Crockett have called the police? What if April had tried to call after they left and, finding no one there, had contacted the cops?
 

Somehow that had never occurred to her. Could they be technically guilty of kidnapping? After all, they had taken children they had no right to and whisked them off in the night. She wrapped her arms around herself, chilled to the bone.

The restaurant was almost empty. The officer stopped at a corner booth. Barnaby sat there all alone, his face expressionless.

“I’ve got the others in the room in back,” Charity whispered to Cathy. “They’re playing house with the babies. Sally’s watching them.”

Confused, Cathy went forward and gave her son a hug. Turning on the officer, she felt angry, defensive. Now that one of her children was involved, she became almost as confrontational as Scott had been in the beginning.
 

“What is this all about?” she demanded.

The policeman nodded toward Barnaby. “He tells me he and the other kids are being kidnapped by this here Scott Carrington.” He stared at Cathy, hard, as though to force the truth out of her with mind control. “What do you have to say to that?”

It took a moment for the facts to register. Barnaby had done this? Her own sweet son? She stared at him, aghast, then looked at Scott. His face was hard, cold, his eyes resigned, but angry. He was not in the least amused.

“Oh no, Officer.” She laughed, but it took a great deal of effort. “No, that’s not it at all.” She turned back to her son. “Barnaby, how could you? I explained what we were doing. Didn’t you understand?”

The boy’s face didn’t change, and he didn’t say a word. He obviously understood perfectly well, but had his own reasons.

Scott took her hand. “Let’s talk to the officer over here, Cathy,” he suggested, nodding toward the opposite corner of the room.

They went out of Barnaby’s earshot and Scott quickly explained the basic circumstances of their trip—minus the information that the babies’ mother was missing.
 

“The boy’s father left his mother over a year ago,” he went on, squeezing Cathy’s hand in apology. “Barnaby has been pretty upset about it, I think. He doesn’t like to think of me in his mother’s life.”

Cathy glanced back at her son, full of remorse. She hadn’t been paying enough attention, had she? Of course he was upset. He remembered Joey so well. And a boy his age needed a father so badly. But that sort of deprivation was hard to deal with when there was no solution in sight. So she tended to ignore it and hope it would go away. Obviously, that wasn’t working.

She looked up to find Scott speaking to her. “Don’t you think he probably did this to punish me for taking you off just now?” he asked.

She nodded, her huge eyes sad. “I’m sure of it.” She turned to the policeman. “Officer, we’re not kidnapping anyone, believe me. We’re merely taking the babies to their mother in Lake Tahoe.”

He stared at her for a long moment and she’d almost decided he was going to believe her when he said gruffly, “I’d like the mother’s name and address, please.”

Scott and Cathy exchanged glances. “Her name is April Meadows,” Cathy said quickly, her heart sinking. What now? If they told him they didn’t have an address for her, he would go back to his suspicions again.

“And her address,” Scott was saying, “is the Wild Horses Casino, Lake Tahoe, Nevada.”

Cathy’s heart was beating hard. How she hoped that address was correct!

The officer wrote slowly and carefully, frowning as he jotted down the information. Cathy held her breath. Would he accept Scott’s information?

Finally he looked up and nodded. “Well, your story sounds plausible,” he said. “And Charity vouches for you. So I guess we can leave it at that today.” He frowned harder, as though he wanted to make sure they didn’t start celebrating too soon. “But I do want to warn you, if any of this data you’ve given me turns out to be false, I’ll have to have you detained for further questioning. Do you understand?”

They nodded solemnly. The policeman tipped his hat and left the restaurant, sauntering slowly, the majesty of his power surely weighing heavy on his wide shoulders.

Scott limited his relief to a sparkle in his eyes when he gave Cathy a wink. “Go talk to your son,” he told her. “I’ll get the others ready.”

But Barnaby wasn’t talking.
 

Cathy tried, but the more she talked, the more his lower lip protruded. Finally she put her arms around him and held him tight.
 

“You know I love you,” she said to her oldest son. “And your daddy loves you, too. He just can’t be a part of our lives anymore. He can’t live our way.” She kissed his cheek. “But we’ll be okay, you and me and Beth and Beanie. I won’t ever, ever leave you. You know that, don’t you?”

He turned and looked into her eyes, his gaze furtive, as though trying to see if she were telling the truth. Then he looked away again, his face as expressionless as ever.

“Ready to get back on the road?” It was Scott.

“We’re ready.” She let Barnaby go on ahead and put a hand on Scott’s arm. “I’m sorry about what Barnaby did. I’m sure he didn’t realize—“

Scott pressed his fingers to the center of her back to guide her out the door. His mouth was set in a grim line.
 

“Kids!” was all he said, but he said it through clenched teeth.

She swallowed hard. There wasn’t much point in hoping any longer, was there? It had been a foolish dream anyway. The children were bound to do something outrageous or annoying just about every day.
 

If she had to live in fear of one of them getting into some sort of scrape, her life would become a living hell. She didn’t need that. No. Things were better being left just the way they already were.

She stopped to thank Charity, who hugged her and whispered, “Good luck!” in her ear. Cathy looked at her, sure that she knew everything, and suddenly tears were welling in her eyes.

“Thanks,” she said back. “But I may be beyond where luck can help me.”

Squaring her shoulders, she headed out the door, the last to leave. At the corner of the building, something made her look back, and as she did, she caught sight of something in the street. It was long. It was white. It had longhorns as a hood ornament. There was Robby Crockett, and he was cruising past, looking, no doubt, for them.

CHAPTER NINE:

The Teddy Bears Picnic

There was a new urgency to their drive north now. There was no margin left for error, much less time for dawdling.

“If we’d left just two minutes sooner,” Cathy kept repeating, “we would have met him coming in toward Mammoth. He would have seen us. I can’t believe how close we came.”