Elaine Grant - Make-Believe Mum

Jon came into the kitchen, looking and smelling much better than when he left. His dark hair was still damp from a shower, ridged with comb marks, and he wore clean jeans and a long-sleeved, thermal knit shirt that hugged his fit body like a glove.

“Thanks for getting started,” he said with a grin. “And for helping me out.”

“I’m not sure if I helped or made things worse in the long run. Mrs. Hawthorn won’t be happy when she learns the truth.”

“Well, maybe we can keep her in the dark for the moment, if that’s okay with you.”

“I don’t know. This worries me. We’re not playing a game. The ramifications could be serious.”

“Far from a game. I just need some time.”

Kaycee didn’t mind giving him time if it would help, but the thought of even a mock engagement didn’t set well with her at all. She’d been there, done the real thing in South Carolina. And then there was the question of the kids’ well-being. She wanted hard evidence that they were being cared for.

“Mrs. Hawthorn mentioned a baby with a fever.”

“Bo.” Jon put a gallon jug of milk on the table. “He’s almost three. Rachel and Samantha are upstairs with him. That woman was overreacting. Babies run a fever sometimes. If I thought for a minute it was serious, I’d have already taken him to the doctor. A little medicine, keep him quiet today. He’ll be fine tomorrow.”

Seven children, Kaycee mused. She took in his broad shoulders, the chiseled planes of his well-muscled chest under the shirt, his easy smile and dark good looks. Yes, Kaycee could see the lure of making multiple babies with Jon Rider. He might talk like a mother hanging around the carpool line exchanging fever remedies, but he sure didn’t look like one.

“Our mama’s gone,” Zach said. “Daddy takes care of us now.”

“I guess you heard, she passed away last year.” Jon’s words were matter-of-fact, but Kaycee detected the underlying grief in his voice. The loss of their mother reflected in the children’s eyes as they watched their father.

“I’m sorry,” Kaycee managed, not knowing what else to say. “You must be pretty self-sufficient,” she said to the children.

“We can take care of ourselves, ’ cept that old Mrs. Hawthorn won’t believe us,” Michele said. “She can’t take us, can she, Daddy?”

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll talk about it later.” Jon pointed to a cabinet beside the refrigerator and said to Kaycee, “Would you pour the milk? Plastic cups are up there.”

Meanwhile, he parceled out the loaded paper plates to each child. He put a couple of plates on a tray along with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Bo, plastic cups, Bo’s washed sipper cup and the partial jug of milk. “Wendy, run this upstairs. Tell Rachel I’ll be there in a few minutes to check on them.”

“Yes, sir.” Wendy picked up the tray carefully and left.

Kaycee made a sandwich for herself and a couple for Jon with the remaining meat and bread. What would they eat tomorrow, she wondered, noting the pitifully empty refrigerator.

“No more milk,” Kaycee said to Jon. “How about water for us?”

“Sure. Let’s go in the other room,” Jon suggested.

They settled at a round table in an adjacent room. Quaint mullioned bay windows looked out over expansive grazing land running up the mountains. Jon sat back in his chair and exhaled a long sigh, contemplating Kaycee with a thoughtful expression.

“So, you’re to be my new wife, are you? And not a minute too soon.”

“Sorry, no mail-order bride here,” she replied. “Not my style. But I would like an explanation. I feel like I walked into the middle of a war zone.”

“So do I,” Jon said. “Talk about being blindsided. But, thanks for what you did. My live-in housekeeper left without notice and I need to find a new one.”

“No notice?” Kaycee said, between bites of her sandwich. “That’s not very professional.”

Jon shrugged a shoulder. “It happens. Seven kids are more than most housekeepers bargain for. I called everybody I knew yesterday, but no luck. Even called an agency in Bozeman, but from the way the woman snorted, I doubt they’ll be sending anybody my way. With that heifer calving, I didn’t have a chance to look this morning. Then, that damned social worker…I guess I should have expected something like this sooner or later.”

“Under the circumstances, I think I’m entitled to know why a social worker would be checking on the children. Are some of them stepchildren?” The twins’ eyes were a perfect match for the dark blue ones studying her now, but Michele and Wendy’s were chocolate-brown.

“No, they’re all mine. After my wife died, I let the children visit their grandparents in San Francisco, and my lovely in-laws tried to keep them. Filed a custody suit.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. Why would they do that?”

“They think I’m not capable of raising the kids without Alison. They say I can’t take care of the little ones or give the girls a proper social life out here ‘in the wilderness,’ as Alison’s father calls it.” Jon’s face hardened, the light gone from his eyes. “Wouldn’t allow me near the house to even talk to my kids. Took me a month to get them home again, and a hell of a lot of money to fight that lawsuit.”

“It must be difficult managing with so many small children and a ranch to run,” Kaycee ventured. She didn’t want to make a judgment until she understood the situation.

Jon frowned and set his water glass down. “It is hard, damn near impossible sometimes. So what? Life’s hard. I’m supposed to give up my children because of that? Alison would turn over in her grave if I let somebody take those babies away from me. Never going to happen.” He leaned forward in his chair toward her, his jaw set. “And if you’re thinking they might be better off with their rich grandparents, living in the city, you’re wrong. They might be better dressed, they might have fancier food, they might be kept squeaky clean all the time—”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“Let me tell you what they wouldn’t have,” he went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “They wouldn’t get the love that I give them. They wouldn’t have one another to depend on for support and attention because their grandparents are firm believers in boarding schools and au pairs. Alison would tell you horror stories of her life growing up…” Jon clenched the water glass with both hands and looked away, blinking.

Kaycee’s appetite gone, she laid the unfinished sandwich on her plate.

In the uneasy silence, he cleared his throat. “I won’t sentence my own children to that fate. She wouldn’t have wanted it and I won’t allow it. It’s as simple as that.”

But Kaycee knew better. “It’s not, is it? You’re still worried.”

He shoved his plate aside and leaned back in his chair. “The Arants are too wealthy for their own good. After their lawsuit failed, anytime I let the kids talk to them, they tried to use their money to lure them away from me. So I cut off communication.”

Only Kaycee’s paternal grandmother had survived long enough to be part of her life and she was dead now. Kaycee still missed her terribly. How empty her life would have been without Granny. No doubt Jon’s children were feeling a similar loss.

“Do you mean they can’t see their grandparents?”

“Can’t see them, can’t talk to them. Phone’s off limits to San Francisco.”

“Jon, that’s severe. How do the kids feel about it?”

Jon shrugged slightly. “I’m sure they miss Hal and Marjorie. As far as the kids are concerned, their grandparents are wonderful. But it doesn’t change what they tried to do to my family.”