Page 22 of Rescuing Carolyn

I grinned. Bring it on. I had more plans up my sleeve, starting tonight.

I opened her account, and code filled my screen, each bit making sense to me. How could I best screw with her? I tapped a couple of keys, wiping out some stored inventory files from the server. Annoying, but I could do better.

Let’s jack up payroll next. With a few swipes of my fingers, I implanted a worm that would interrupt the direct deposits. Those employees wouldn’t get paid next week. Too bad.

I leaned back in my chair, my eyes scanning the dingy room. I wanted something bigger. Something that would make the business collapse and bring the Evert family to their knees.

Ideas cascaded through my mind until one took shape. Ah, yes. That. I laughed.

12

CAROLYN

“Dada?” Austin looked up at me with his bright blue eyes. He was playing on the floor, stacking colorful cups on top of each other and knocking them over gleefully.

“He’ll be home soon,” I answered and watched the smile grow on his face, which was exactly how I felt inside. Having a father was good for Austin. I couldn’t deny that. It had been instant love between father and son.

For nearly a week, Zach had slept in my guest room. We shared breakfast and bedtime duty like any parents would—which was a little surreal for both of us. After all, neither Zach nor I came from a traditional family with a caring mom and dad in the household. Never once had I doubted my mother’s love for me, but I still carried around a hole in my heart where my father’s affection should have been. For Zach, it was worse: no one had cared for him or his brothers until the Admiral took them in as young teens. Zach’s and my experiences left us struggling a little to figure out this co-parenting thing together, but I could feel a tight little family forming…and I liked it.

I liked the sexy, appealing man in my house, too. I’d dated no one since I broke off the engagement. I’d told myself I was too busy, with a young child and a business to run, but maybe that wasn’t the whole truth. Zach still had a claim on my heart. As angry as I’d been, I’d still never quite managed to get over him. I could admit that, finally—and could see that that was the real reason why it had hurt so much all those months when I’d thought he was ignoring my messages and abandoning me. If I’d listened to my heart, I would have known he was the last man to abandon a child or shirk his responsibilities.

I scooped Austin off the floor. “Let’s make Daddy some cookies.”

“Cookum,” he shouted and clapped his hands.

In the kitchen, I gave him a bowl and spatula so he could pretend to mix dough as I measured ingredients for ginger cookies, a favorite of Zach’s. It was good to have history with a man. I knew what he liked and disliked. Ginger cookies were special to him, something he had shared with the Admiral.

After I flipped on the mixer, I added a little flour to Austin’s bowl. I’d end up having to sweep the floor by the time we were done, but I didn’t care when he was so happy to be “helping.”

“Dada?” he asked again, making me glance at the clock. Almost six.

“Soon,” I promised, giving him a kiss.

I formed the dough into balls and placed them on a cookie sheet. With the first batch in the oven and Austin still content, I took a minute to check my email messages. I was waiting to hear back from the computer forensics expert. So far, Steve had uncovered a few things but was still at it. I wanted him to find something definite—and soon. So much was at stake for me.

I glanced at Austin when I heard the garage door open, happy that the toddler hadn’t noticed since Zach wouldn’t come in right away. I knew from the past week that he’d do a sweep of the property first, as he did several times a day, because he was hardwired to protect. And to love. I’d seen that so much since his return, even if he didn’t say the words.

The second batch of cookies was in the oven before Zach quietly opened the kitchen door and stepped inside.

“Hi,” I said, going to him, knowing that he would kiss me as he’d done other evenings. It was the domestic life I’d wanted with him and thought I would never get.

“Smells good in here.” His arm was around my waist, holding me to him.

“I made cookies. Austin helped.” We turned in time to see Austin toss a handful of flour in the air and laugh as the powder filtered down onto his dark hair.

“Uh-oh,” Austin squealed, delighted with the mess he’d made.

“Uh-oh is right,” I said with a smile.

“I’ll clean it up,” Zach volunteered as he headed for Austin and gathered him in his arms, dusting him off.

“No, take him and play,” I insisted. “He’s been asking for you for an hour. I’ll sweep it up and make dinner.”

While I cooked, I could hear them playing in the living room. Zach was a natural father. He’d looked to me for direction at first, but he seemed to instinctively know what Austin wanted and needed. I was lucky, lucky to have them both. I was on the verge of telling Zach that, but I was still afraid of the words. Maybe I could show it instead.

“Let’s watch a movie tonight,” I suggested when we finished eating dinner. “It looks like rain outside, and I could do with a good laugh.”

“What’d you have in mind?” Zach asked.

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