A Hope Undaunted (65 page)

Marcy tucked an arm around Katie’s shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. “Yes, Gabe, certainly, but also you,” she said quietly. “Luke will come around, Katie . . . when he’s ready.”

Katie swallowed hard and straightened her shoulders, fighting the threat of moisture in her eyes. With a press of her jaw, she hefted more corn in her arms and dumped it into the scalding pot, wishing it were Luke McGee instead. “I’m not so sure he’ll ever be ready, Mother. It appears friendship suits the man just fine.”

Lizzie laid a gentle hand to her sister’s arm. “Betty’s been gone only a little over a year, Katie, and I think that was a milestone for Luke, I really do. Since he and Kat moved in with us last year, I’ve learned just how hard losing both Betty and Parker has been for him, not to mention the guilt he feels over coming between Parker and you.” Lizzie ducked her head to smile into Katie’s eyes. “But he’s also told us just how much your friendship has meant to him, especially these last six months.”

Katie nodded and put a hand to her eyes, embarrassed by the sting of tears.

As soft as a whisper, Lizzie eased Katie’s hand to clasp it in her own, forcing her sister to look at her. She gave her palm a reassuring squeeze. “But two weeks ago, after Luke took Kat to visit Betty’s grave on the anniversary of her death, he told us he also went to spend time with Parker. And I’m not exactly sure what happened that weekend, but when Luke returned home, I swear he was a different man. Lighter, happier, as if a huge weight had been lifted.” Lizzie touched a palm to Katie’s cheek. “Trust him, Katie . . . and trust God. I promise, neither will let you down.”

Katie sniffed and pushed the wetness from her eyes. “I know you’re right, Lizzie, because Luke’s told me so himself – over and over – how much our friendship has meant. But it’s just so hard, loving him like I do and wanting it to be more.”

Massaging her shoulders from behind, Faith leaned forward to give Katie a sympathetic smile. “It is hard to be patient, I know. We’ve all been there, Katie, each of us with the men in our lives, including Mother.” Her lips curved in a crooked smile. “Apparently God thinks nobody teaches patience better than Irish men. Must be a gift.”

“Or a curse.” Charity banged the last of the hard-boiled eggs on the counter with a particularly nasty crack. She glanced up through narrow eyes. “Hey . . . you don’t suppose God’s Irish, do you?”

Emma chuckled. “I suspect he might be, at least in this family.”

Katie sucked in a deep breath and attempted a grin. “Thanks for the pep talk, everyone. I’m okay now, really.” She glanced at the pot of steaming corn. “Guess I should turn it up to a boil, which,” she said with a lift of her brow, “is exactly what I’d like to do to Luke McGee.”

A devious grin sprouted on Charity’s face as she pulverized the egg yolks with a fork. “Ooooo . . . a girl after my own heart. So, why don’t you?”

Katie sighed and turned up the flame on the corn. “Because I want it to be his idea, not mine,” she said with a pout, “which is something as foreign to me as patience, apparently.” She turned and sagged against the counter with a fold of her arms. “Besides, I promised.”

The fork in Charity’s hand froze midair, egg yolk caked between the tines. “Promised what?” she asked with shock in her tone.

The edge of Katie’s mouth crooked up. “No plotting, no ploys, no flirting, no seduction.”

Charity’s jaw dropped a full inch. “Sweet saints in heaven – Mitch would take my pulse.”

Faith snickered.

“So, you see, my hands are tied,” Katie said with a weighty sigh. “And believe me, I’m none too happy about it.”

Dropping the fork into the bowl with a clatter, Charity hurried over to lock Katie in a tight hug. “Oh, honey, I am so sorry! Is there anything I can do?”

“Yeah,” Katie said with a smirk. “Pray that God turns up the heat so I don’t have to.”

“Hey, when we gonna eat – me and the guys are hungry!” The screen door slammed as Gabe barreled into the kitchen with sweaty pigtails. She snatched an egg from Charity’s platter on her way, earning her a playful swat.

“In the next ten minutes, as a matter of fact,” Marcy said as she mixed the slaw. “Did you set the tables like Mr. O’Connor asked, Gabriella Dawn?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Gabe said with a groan. “Took me forever, too, with all them stupid tables lined up clear across Lizzie’s backyard.”

“Good girl,” Marcy said with a smile. “Now remember, he said you’re to be in charge of the little ones, so you’re the boss.”

A gleam lit Gabe’s eyes. “That includes Henry, don’t it?” “Absolutely!” Charity said with a wink of her eye. She plopped the last of the egg filling into the egg halves and carefully arranged them on the platter. “I’m hoping you can succeed where I’ve failed, Gabe Smith.” Her eyes narrowed, glittering with conspiracy as she licked the spoon. She tucked the tray of eggs into the icebox, then peered over her shoulder with a threatening smirk. “Don’t let me down.”

Ping!

“Yes!” Collin’s voice shot in the air along with his arms, effectively drowning out the groans of his competition. “The kid grinds ’em into the dust once again.” He snatched the horseshoes from the spike in Brady’s manicured lawn and delivered a cocky grin in Luke’s direction. “So, McGee, it looks like it’s time to stop hiding behind that baby and defend your title.”

Luke smiled, enjoying the afternoon as he sloped back against a gnarled oak with Kat in his arms, her pink frilly dress fanned against dark suspenders and the crisp white of the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt. He latched a thumb in the pocket of his Glen plaid seersucker slacks and matched Collin’s cocky grin, gleam for gleam. A breeze scented by lilac bushes heavy with bloom feathered both Luke’s towhead and Kat’s auburn ringlets as he shifted her in his arms. “Hey, McGuire, don’t you worry, boy – I can teach you how it’s played with a baby in my arms and a hand tied behind my back.”

“Do it, Luke – it’s the only thing that’ll stop him from gloating.” Brady glanced over from a massive stone barbecue pit where the mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat billowed into the air. He piled the last of the barbecue on a platter and slathered it with more sauce before joining Patrick, Mitch, and Steven at the cedar picnic table he’d built himself. Before he sat, he slapped Sean on the shoulder with a wry grin. “Heaven knows Sean and I did our best to humble the boy, but I suspect he recruited divine intervention.”

Collin slacked a hip and grinned, bobbling the horseshoes in his hand. “You accusing me of cheating, Brady, is that what I’m hearing?”

Steven chuckled and fisted his drink. “I don’t know, Collin – cheating or raw talent. Sounds like a clear-cut choice to me.”

Brady rolled his neck and gave Collin a patient smile. “Settle down, Collin, you played a great game. But it wouldn’t surprise me if you had your wife praying for you.”

“Nope, wouldn’t do that, ol’ buddy.”

Mitch laughed. “Don’t have to. Faith’s smart enough to pray on her own. That woman doesn’t want to go home with a grouch.”

“I’ll show you grouch, Dennehy. Come on, one more game – put your money where your mouth is.”

“No, thanks – I think we should let Luke have that honor, don’t you, Patrick?” Mitch upended his ginger ale.

Patrick bounced Molly on his knee with a grin, looking the part of the doting grandpa as he shot Collin a wink. “Might be the wise thing to do. As I recall, the ‘boy’ is one of those who has to learn the hard way.”

“Hear that, Kat? Daddy’s got to teach somebody a valuable lesson.” Luke ambled over with a sleepy-eyed baby in his arms and lifted her in the air, poised to deposit her in Brady’s lap.

“Freeze!” Charity shot a mock glare, standing at the door with a tray of deviled eggs in her hands. “Don’t you dare hand that baby off, Luke McGee. The food’s ready, so the game has to wait.”

“Saved by the bell,” Luke said with a chuckle as he slipped Kat under his arm with the same firm hold reserved for a football. He strolled over to sit next to Brady and threatened Collin with a predatory grin. “You got a reprieve, McGuire, so enjoy your supper now, because after I’m done with you, it’ll be giving you heartburn.”

“You always were a little too big for your britches, Cluny my boy – I look forward to it.”

Brady laughed and jumped to his feet, glancing at Collin over his shoulder as he grabbed a bowl of potato salad from Marcy’s hands. “Yeah, ol’ buddy, we all are.”

The screen door squealed open to make way for a procession of women bearing platters and bowls of food. Their giggles and chatter filled the air, punctuated with the happy shrieks of apple-cheeked children, male laughter, and the surprisingly low boom of Gabe’s directives, smug with authority.

“Momma, is it time for ice cream?” Teddy looked up with a tug of Lizzie’s organza dress, leaving a sticky imprint on the yellow tea-rose pattern. She picked him up in her arms and planted a noisy kiss to his flushed cheek. “Nope, darlin’, not till after supper. But first, we’re going to wash those sticky hands.”

Collin snatched Teddy from Lizzie’s hold, unleashing wild giggles as he tickled his belly and hoisted him in the air. “I’ll wash him up, Lizzie, you sit. It’s Mother’s Day.” He plopped the toddler on his shoulders and bent to steal a kiss from his wife. “I’ll be wanting one of these next year, Little Bit, because it’s time for a little dirt and stickball around the house, don’t you think?”

Faith pressed a hand to her husband’s face with a tender smile, her voice brimming with affection. “I’m ready when you are, my love.”

“I’m ready,” Collin whispered with a gleam of hope in his eyes. He took his time with another lingering kiss before toting a squealing Teddy into the house.

When children’s plates were finally made and mothers seated with a kiss, and even Henry had been bullied into a chair, Patrick rose and bowed his head in prayer.

With a gentle kiss to Kat’s downy curls, Luke buried himself in the soft baby scent of Betty’s daughter –
his
daughter – and closed his eyes. Kat was family
. . . his
family
. . .
and a daughter who needed a mother as much as he needed a wife. He chanced a peek at Katie across the red-and-white checkered table, her golden head bowed in prayer, and his heart turned over. She was everything he had ever wanted – friend, partner, and confidante. And now, since Parker had put his guilt to rest, not only with his spoken assurance, but with the peace in his eyes and joy in his face, Luke could finally admit that Katie was everything he’d ever need. A wife, a mother, a lover . . . and the key to a family he could call his own.

A lump shifted in Luke’s throat as the prayer ended, and gentle chaos ensued with the passing of bowls and good-natured teasing and the jabber of children. With a full heart, his eyes scanned the table, taking in Charity wrestling with Mitch over the lightest roll, or Collin kissing Faith as she passed him the slaw. A smile shadowed his lips at the tender way Brady squeezed Lizzie’s hand or how Marcy heaped barbecue high on her husband’s plate. Beside him, Gabe chattered like a magpie while Emma and Katie giggled at one of Sean’s jokes. And then, in the midst of these remarkable people he’d been so blessed to know, he felt the quiet confirmation in his spirit. He was finally
home
.

Gabe passed the beans and Luke glanced up to see Katie watching him. He grinned, his pulse accelerating at the cute smirk on those full, sassy lips, and for the first time since he moved to Philly with Betty, he let himself revel in the warmth that flooded his veins. He could feel the heat in his eyes as he stared her down, noting with satisfaction that a hint of color rose in her cheeks.

“There’s trouble brewing in those eyes,” she remarked with a lift of her brow, but he only grinned wider.
You have no
idea, Katie Rose . . . how our lives are about to change.

“Hey, why does
she
get to sit with the grown-ups?” Henry demanded, giving Gabe the evil eye as she sidled close to Luke. “I’m almost her age – I want to sit with the grownups too.”

Patrick’s chin elevated to assess the situation through slatted eyes. “Gabe, you were assigned to oversee the children – your place is with them, not the adults.
Move,
young lady!”

Horror expanded the whites of her eyes. “But Mrs. O’Connor said I could sit next to Luke, and she promised!” With a grind of his jaw, Patrick seared her with a look before shifting his gaze to his wife. “I already told her no, Marcy. She’s a child, not an adult, and only nine years old – ”

“
You
said I was their boss,” Gabe said with a hike of her chin, “and I’m almost ten.”

Patrick stared her down. “
Nine
at the moment,” he said with strong emphasis. “And keep in mind that while you’re under my roof, Gabriella Dawn,
I
am the boss.”

“I’m not under your roof right now,” Gabe muttered, “I’m in Lizzie’s backyard.”

“Hush, Gabe,” Luke whispered with a pinch of her arm.

Patrick’s eyes flitted to his wife. “She’s already too old for her britches, Marcy – the girl needs to sit with the children.”

Marcy’s face melted into a plea. “But, Patrick, you know how she loves to sit next to Luke, and it
is
Mother’s Day . . .”