Page 23 of A Family Kind of Wedding (Forever Family 3)

“Anyway, it looks like I’m going to have to go car shopping soon, because Len thinks it would cost more to fix the convertible than it’s worth. Josh is laid up—a sprained ankle—and I need to run out and do a couple of things, so I was wondering if I could borrow your car.”

“Of course you can!” Brynnie didn’t hesitate for a moment. She might have had lousy taste in men and had more husbands than a cat had fleas, but she was a good mother and had always put her children first in her heart. Katie had never doubted how much she was loved. “I’ll bring it down and sit with Josh for a while.”

“But aren’t you going crazy, what with Bliss’s wedding plans and all?”

“Bliss has it all handled, believe me.” Brynnie chuckled and coughed a bit. “Never been married and she’s carrying this off like a pro. As many times as I walked down the aisle, I was rattled each time, let me tell you. Now, is Josh all right?”

Katie slid her son a glance. “I think so. His pride might be more bruised than his ankle.” Josh, who was reaching for his crutches, didn’t seem to hear her comment.

“Tell him Grandma’s coming over, and I’ll take him on in Hearts or Pitch or whatever card game he wants.”

“I will,” Katie promised.

“Good. Now—what?” she asked, obviously turning away from the phone as her voice faded for a few seconds. “Oh, Katie, wait a minute, your father wants to talk to you.”

Katie was still uncomfortable hearing John Cawthorne referred to so casually as her father. As much as she loved her mother, she couldn’t forget that Brynnie had kept the truth from her until this past year, that Brynnie let her live a lie, even given her another man’s surname.

“Katie?” John Cawthorne’s voice blasted over the phone. “What’s this I hear about your car givin’ up the ghost?”

She went through the whole story again while Josh finished his breakfast, then hobbled into the living room. As she was ending her tale, John interrupted, “We’ve got lots of rigs out here. If you can drive a clutch, you can have the Jeep. It’s just sitting in the garage collecting dust.”

She didn’t want John Cawthorne’s or anyone else’s charity. “I just need to borrow something for a couple of days.”

“Fine, fine, but there’s no sense putting yourself out much. Brynnie’ll drive the Jeep into town, visit with Josh and I’ll come pick her up later. Now, what’s this about Josh hurtin’ himself playin’ soccer? You know, I told you that game was more dangerous than football. No pads. No protection.”

She talked with him for a few minutes, heard for the dozenth time about the pros of football, which was played at the same time of the year as soccer, and how a fine, “strappin’” boy like Josh should get into a decent sport. She hung up, wondering if borrowing the car was worth hearing all the advice. As much as she disliked Hal Kinkaid—a surly, quiet man who seemed to forever carry a chip on his shoulder—at least he didn’t butt into her life. In fact, he’d never shown much interest in her at all.

Growing up, Katie had felt neglected and

had knocked herself out trying to get Hal’s attention. She’d been flamboyant in high school, part of the “wild crowd” who drank and smoked, though she’d drawn the line at drugs. She’d flirted outrageously, gained an ill-gotten reputation and, of course, lost her virginity to Dave. At the thought of her one and only lover, she felt a pang of grief. In retrospect, getting pregnant was the best thing that had happened to her. She’d settled down, suffered the indignities and slurs about being an unwed mother when it wasn’t quite as fashionable as it was today, but given birth to the greatest kid in the world. She glanced into the living room where Josh was flopped on the couch with his ankle propped on the overstuffed arm. Nope, she wouldn’t have changed anything about her life. It was just too darned good. Even if she did have to put up with John Cawthorne’s opinions on every subject in the world.

When her mother came over to drop off the car, Katie hoped to speak to her in private, tell her about Dave. All in all, Brynnie was the only person in whom Katie could confide.

And what about Luke? Are you going to tell your mother that for the first time since Dave Sorenson, you enjoyed kissing a man, even fleetingly wondered what it would be like to make love to him?

She swallowed hard at the thought. Making love to any man was out of the question right now. She had too much to do to get involved with anyone. Even if she had the time, Luke Gates was the last man in the world she could dare trust.

And yet…she couldn’t help fantasizing about him a little. After all, what would it hurt? It wasn’t as if she would ever get the chance to make love to him.

“Thank God,” she whispered and realized that a sheen of perspiration had broken out all over her body.

* * *

“Oh, honey, I hope you’re not getting yourself into the kind of trouble you can’t get out of.” Worry pinched the corners of Brynnie Cawthorne’s mouth as they walked through the overgrown vegetable garden at the side of Katie’s house.

“I’ll be fine.”

“But a letter from Isaac Wells?” Brynnie bent over and picked a plump cherry tomato from a scraggly vine.

“Or someone who wants me to think he’s Isaac.” Katie lifted her hair off her neck as the sun warmed her crown. “I just wanted you to know what was going on before the story was printed in the paper. I took a copy of the note for me and one for Jarrod, then I’ll drop off the original at the police station.”

“I don’t like the sound of this.”

“I know, Mom, but this could be my big chance.”

“Just be careful, okay? You’re a mother.” Brynnie slid the sunglasses that held her hair away from her face on to her nose.

“I know, I know, and there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.” Katie’s enthusiasm drained.

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