Love Inspired January 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Her Unexpected Cowboy\His Ideal Match\The Rancher's Secret Son (30 page)

Before Carissa could catch her breath, she met more Chatams than she'd known existed, starting with Asher and his wife, Ellie, and their baby daughter, Marie Ella. Next came Petra and her husband, Dale Bowen, whom she'd met the other night, followed quickly by Reeves and Anna Leland and their daughter, Gilli. Reeves's sister Melinda and her husband, J. W. Harris, came with their little boy, Johnny. To everyone else's surprise, Reeves and Melinda's twin baby sisters, Harmony and Lyric, showed up, too, saying they were just passing through on their way home to California after visiting friends in New York.

While the Chatam sisters were getting their nieces settled upstairs, Kaylie breezed in with her husband, the hockey player Stephen Gallow, and her father, Hub Chatam, who led the grief support group. Kaylie's brother, Chandler, arrived from Stephenville with his wife, Bethany, and their little son, Matthew. Another of her brothers, a much older one, Bayard Chatam, and his wife, Chloe, brought along their married daughter Julia and her sons Richard Paul and Brian Travis, their father being out of town on business. Bayard promised that his younger daughters would be along later, and one of them, Carolyn, arrived on the arm of her uncle Morgan, a distinguished-looking college professor and Kaylie's second-oldest brother.

Then Carissa met Phillip's parents, who arrived with Dallas. Thereafter, Phillip never again left Carissa's side, a circumstance for which she quickly became thankful, given that the Drs. Murdock and Maryanne Chatam made a formidable pair and seemed to have a particular interest in her.

Dr. Murdock Chatam stood tall and straight, with a head of thick, graying hair, cinnamon-brown eyes and a patrician profile, complete with the Chatam cleft chin. Dr. Maryanne Chatam was slender and of average height, with blond, silver-streaked hair cut in a stylish bob and gray-blue eyes as sharp as scalpels, especially when they honed in on Carissa, which they did the instant that Dallas made the introduction.

“My daughter tells me you have three children,” said Maryanne.

“
And
that she's a widow, no doubt,” Phillip added, stepping up to Carissa's side, “
and
that her father recently passed
and
that she's a whiz with computers and any number of other things, I'm sure.”

“Including that she's Chester's niece and is staying here at Chatam House,” his father stated in weighty tones.

“And now we're all up to date on Carissa Hopper,” Phillip said, taking her by the arm and aiming a very pointed look at his sister. Dallas shrugged and shook her head defensively as Phillip maneuvered Carissa away and escorted her quickly through the house and out onto the patio, which was crawling with people.

“What was that about?” Carissa asked once they were well away from his parents.

“My meddling sister,” Phillip said between his teeth.

“I don't understand.”

“Dallas has a penchant for...interfering,” he told her, “but don't worry. I won't let my parents grill you.”

“Why would they do that?”

He huffed out a breath. “Let me restate. Dallas has a penchant for
matchmaking.
She nearly burned down Kent's house while trying to get him and Aunt Odelia together. And managed to spark a romance between Asher and Ellie in the process. She almost derailed Petra and Dale, however, and after that near fiasco, she supposedly reformed. But now here she is with our parents, and they've got their sights on you, which tells me that someone's been talking you up.”

Carissa caught her breath, blinking. “You're saying that Dallas thinks you and I should be a couple.”

“And my parents will almost certainly oppose it,” he confirmed with a nod.

Carissa frowned. “But why?”

He shrugged. “Because they oppose everything I do, that's why.”

“I don't understand.”

“Oh, it's very simple. Asher is the responsible elder son. I'm the irresponsible younger one.”

“Okay, you don't have a job right now, but that will change. Won't it?”

“Eventually it has to,” he said offhandedly, “but let's go over some of the jobs I've already had. I've taught surfing and snowboarding. I've fished in Alaska. Briefly. It wasn't as fun as it looked. Oh, and I've fed lions in a zoo.”

“Lions!”

“Elephants, too. Different zoo.” He waved that away. “What else? There was skydiving. You'd be amazed how many people want to jump out of airplanes. I led treks in the Canadian Northwest. And in between the grand adventures there was making sails, stenciling boats, tanning alligator hides, selling everything from books to jewelry, modeling kilts.”

“Modeling—”

“And I even made a credible barista. Oh, and I did work on a play and for a band, at one time, but that was way back, when I was first in college and thought I might actually make a career in something. Out of all that, I don't think I've ever had one job that my parents actually approved of, though. Or one girlfriend.”

“And they think
I'm
your girlfriend?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, then, we'll just set them straight.”

“Oh, sure,” he said flippantly, “because that's always worked so well for me in the past. Just leave it to me, will you? I'm an expert at putting up a wall between me and the Doctors Chatam,” he assured her, waving at his brother-in-law and another couple. “Just stay close. Unless you
want
to be probed.”

Sure, that was just what she needed. And what would she say if his parents asked her outright if she wanted to be with their son? That she didn't know what she wanted?

“I'll leave it to you,” she muttered, her head swirling.

“Smart girl.”

Carissa soon met Dale Bowen's sister and her husband, as well as a number of other young parents. Her cousins arrived with their children, much to the delight of Hilda and Chester. Meanwhile, her own children were having the time of their lives, running and playing with the other kids in attendance.

Nathan, as usual, was the gang leader, but Gilli Leland was giving him a run for his money. A bossy little thing, she had him hopping, justifying his every order and suggestion, much to Grace's giggling delight. Tucker and Hunter Willows, meanwhile, had become fast friends. The others were barely big enough to join in, but Nathan, Gilli and Grace were good about seeing to it that they were included, and the other parents shared in keeping an eye on everyone.

Carissa relaxed a bit, even with the Doctors Chatam observing from a distance and Phillip glued to her side. Or maybe it was
because
he was at her side. Even with all the couples around her, for once, she didn't feel out of place, an oddity. It was almost as if she and Phillip were a couple, at least for the moment.

Oh, he didn't do anything to especially make it seem that way, behaving exactly as a casual friend might, but he was there when she would otherwise have been alone in a group of young couples. Perhaps the assumption by his parents, and maybe even the assumptions of others, fed the feeling.

Or maybe she just wanted to be a part of a couple so badly that she couldn't help feeling part of a pair.

For whatever reason, she let it be. For one day. That wasn't chancing too much. Or was it?

She thought over all that he'd told her, all that he'd done, flitting from one interesting occupation to another, doing whatever job took his fancy. She understood what he was waiting for now. He was cooling his heels until the next big thing came along, until a fun job or an exciting adventure presented itself. Meanwhile, he'd amuse himself with her and her kids.

On one hand, she ought to be grateful. He'd been so much help. On the other hand, she wanted to shake him. Didn't he realize what he was doing? He was making her—them—fall in love with him, when he had no intention of staying around. Even knowing that he would take off as soon as the next great challenge came along, she couldn't quite seem to help herself, and her poor children had absolutely no defenses against a man like him. They weren't used to a man who spent time with them and showed affection to them. Even Nathan was at risk.

But what could she do? Berate the man for being kind? She'd tried to keep her distance, and that hadn't worked.

She felt helpless. All she could do was tell herself over and over again that it was just for one day. Just one day.

Just one day to enjoy being with Phillip Chatam.

But it wasn't enough.

Chapter Twelve

S
everal portable grills had been set up along one end of the patio, and when the steaks, hamburgers and hot dogs came out, Phillip did his part, along with Asher, Garrett, Chester, Dale and Chandler, in cooking the meat. Meanwhile, Carissa helped Hilda and the other ladies lay out a spread that consisted of half-a-dozen enormous salads, a variety of chips and dips, baked beans, a wide selection of condiments, a bushel basket of corn on the cob and many other dishes. What thrilled the children most were the cakes and the three large electric ice-cream makers that sat humming beneath one table. Periodically, either Hilda or Chester would add crushed ice and rock salt to the outer containers while the cylinder turned inside.

The steaks started coming off the grills about midafternoon, much to the delight of the very hungry crowd. Despite having grazed their way through mountains of chips and bowls of dip and other goodies, many had worked up appetites in the pool or playing games of horseshoes or badminton on the lawn. Carissa didn't have a bathing suit, so she'd declined to swim and instead had partnered Phillip in a winning game of badminton before claiming a spot beside him at one of the tables on the patio and chatting with Jessa and Garrett Willows.

Somehow, they got on the subject of phone apps, and Garrett asked about the possibility of designing an app that would allow a customer to take a photo of a plant and identify it. Carissa promised to investigate the possibility and was shocked, pleasantly so, at Phillip's easy comment.

“If anyone can figure it out, Carissa can. She's a computer genius.” She nearly spun her head off her neck goggling at him, but he just smiled and went on. “Maybe when we're through with our current project, we can look into yours in more detail.”

Our current project.
Carissa cleared her throat and ducked her head. Maybe she shouldn't have avoided him these past several days. Maybe, if they worked together, he would see her as more than a lull in the series of adventures that was his life. She told herself not to be a loon, but keeping her distance hadn't worked, so why not take a chance on spending a little time with him? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

All right, Lord, here goes nothing.

“Maybe, um, we can work on
the project
Saturday evening after I put the kids to bed,” she suggested to Phillip softly.

He looked down at her. “I thought you might be working Saturday to make up for today,” he replied evasively.

“Well, yes, but not so late into the evening.”

“You have to have some downtime,” he said. He shifted forward then, enthusiasm lighting his eyes as he went on. “I've been making some phone calls, though, talking to people who might be interested in the kind of application we're considering, and so far the feedback has been very positive.”

Phillip's sister Petra came over then and whispered into his ear, but Carissa couldn't help overhearing.

“I just wanted to apologize. It was Ellie who, um, spilled the beans to our parents, so to speak, but really, it only took a remark that you had mentioned...” She glanced at Carissa. “...a certain someone.”

“And Mom and Dad were all over it,” Phillip surmised, straightening. “But if Ellie made the initial remark, then why are
you
apologizing?”

“Well,” Petra drawled, glancing at Carissa again, “after Mom couldn't get anywhere with Dallas, she called me, and eventually—I emphasize
eventually—
I told her everything I knew. Honestly, Phil, she was like a dog with a bone.”

Carissa watched as Phillip's mouth compressed into a tight line, but then he sighed, patted his sister's hand and pushed back his chair.

“I have to go make an apology now,” Phillip said. Petra nodded in obvious understanding as he rose. “Stay with Carissa until I get back, will you?” Again, Petra nodded.

Carissa started to say, “Oh, that's not necessary,” but Petra cut her off before she got the last word fully out.

“But I want to.” She settled into Phillip's chair as he strode off in the direction of his baby sister. “I've been wanting to get to know you better.”

“Oh? That's, uh, nice.”

Petra laughed. “You must think we're terrible.”

“Why, no,” Carissa hedged uncomfortably. “Why would I?”

“It's just that Mom and Dad have such high expectations, you see,” Petra explained kindly. “You should have seen what they put Dale through last year before we married. Now, of course, he's perfect, as least so far as they're concerned. And Ellie. Oh, my. They adore her. After all, she's the mother of their first grandchild, but you should see the look on Dad's face even now whenever Ash talks about the practice uniforms that she devised for her soccer team.”

Petra launched into a comical description of floppy ears attached to caps and tutus worn over shorts. Garrett Willows joined in to explain how Ellie had used those things to teach the children on her team proper running and kicking techniques. Carissa didn't have the faintest idea what it was all about, but she couldn't help laughing at the vivid pictures they painted. Phillip returned and sent his sister off with hugs. She patted Carissa's shoulder as she left them.

“Nice talking to you.”

“You, too.”

As soon as Petra disappeared into the crowd, Carissa leaned close to Phillip and asked, “Everything okay with Dallas?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Before he could elaborate, however, Hubner Chatam stood up and asked for everyone's attention. In short order, Stephen and Kaylie Gallow happily announced that they were expecting their first child in five months' time. What had been a holiday party quickly turned into a true family celebration as everyone rushed to congratulate the beaming young couple. Carissa noted how carefully tall, blond Stephen enfolded Kaylie in his long arms, her back to his chest, as the family gathered around them. Phillip hurried to join the rest of the family, his smile as wide as his face. Carissa couldn't help smiling herself, especially when Hub asked everyone to link hands to join in prayer and Phillip came immediately to snag her hand in his and pull her into the circle.

She felt a great sense of belonging, standing there among all those Chatams, one hand in Phillip's, the other clasped by Jessa, as Hub asked for God's blessing on the new baby growing in his daughter's womb. It seemed to Carissa that Chatam House must be a blessed place, and she thanked God for the sanctuary she had found there. For however long it lasted.

The afternoon passed into evening without further incident, the awful heat driving many indoors and others to the pool. Carissa allowed the children to swim with Phillip while she sat with her feet dangling in the water. Later, the children pulled their clothes on over their bathing suits and gathered with everyone else to watch the fireworks.

Every Independence Day, the city of Buffalo Creek produced a fireworks extravaganza at the high school football stadium, but not many of the Chatams' guests left to attend. Instead, they dragged lawn chairs out to the west lawn and spread blankets in front of the great magnolia tree to watch from afar as the fireworks painted the night sky with bursts of color.

Phillip spread a blanket between his brother Asher's and that of the Willows family, while Carissa herded her weary children into place. Grace crawled into Phillip's lap and was well on her way to sleep when the first explosion of colored lights lit the sky. Even Nathan seemed too tired to complain, contenting himself with grumbles about the hardness of the ground and the lack of space, but he soon quieted, lying back and folding his hands behind his head to gaze upward with awe at the display. Even with the loud booming of the fireworks, Tucker went to sleep nestled against his mother's side.

Carissa couldn't help stroking his scraggly mop. The boy needed a haircut. She'd have to get out her scissors and make him hold still for it soon. Nathan hated unruly hair and insisted that she keep him trimmed, but if Tucker had his way, he'd be sitting on his hair before he'd sit still for a haircut. She chuckled, thinking that he'd probably use it to swing from the chandeliers.

Phillip looked over, smiled and asked, “What's so funny?”

She shook her head. “Just thinking how strange it is that children with the same parents and raised in the same household can be so different.”

He nodded. “I know what you mean. Just look at me and Ash. There's no more responsible human being on the face of the earth than my big brother.” He glanced fondly at Asher then shook his head. “But me...I've always jumped from one interesting job to another, living for myself and no one else.”

She schooled her expression to blandness, stroking Tucker's hair. There was the death knell to any foolish dream she might be hiding in her traitorous heart. Why couldn't she listen and take heed?

“Well, at least you've had an interesting life.”

Phillip shrugged and looked down at Grace, whose droopy eyes testified to her difficulty staying awake for the fireworks. “It's made for a lonely life at times. I'm just realizing how lonely.”

Carissa glanced around at the plethora of Chatams spread over the lawn. “That doesn't seem to be a problem now that you're here.”

He grinned. “That's true. Chatam House is the heart of the family. When you're here, you don't lack for company. Or support.”

She could see that was true, and she envied him. Her dad and her uncle Chester and aunt Hilda had been the only ones she could ever truly count on in a time of need. Her mother looked out for herself and no one else, and her sister... Only God knew where Lyla was and what she might be doing. Her cousins cared about her, of course, but they had their own responsibilities and difficulties. She wouldn't dream of going to them for help, but Phillip could reach out to almost anyone here tonight, and Carissa had no doubt that they would do their best to help him. They would, in fact, gather round to help him. Yes, she envied Phillip and all the Chatams. No wonder Chester and Hilda were so devoted to them.

The fireworks ended with a breathtaking display of sparkling excess that had Grace sitting up and clapping her hands. Tucker roused and rubbed his eyes, breathing, “Wow!” Even Nathan sat up in silent appreciation.

The last sparks were still fading from the sky as the party finally broke up, with parents carting off sleepy children. The Chatam sisters and Kent stood on the walk in front of the house, saying goodbye to their guests, while Chester and some of the other men took charge of the blankets and chairs. To the sisters' surprise, Phillip's parents declined to stay at Chatam House, choosing instead to sleep under the same roof as their grandbaby. Carissa couldn't help feeling a bit of relief at that.

Phillip insisted on carrying Grace up to her room. He even went in to gently bully Tucker into his pajamas while Carissa got Grace into her nightgown. For once, Nathan didn't complain. Instead, he went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth then changed his clothes and crawled into bed while Carissa and Phillip helped Grace and Tucker brush. Later, when all the children were tucked into bed, Carissa walked Phillip to the door of their suite.

“Thanks for your help.”

“No problem. They were so tired.”

“They had a wonderful day, and so did I.”

“I'm glad.”

He smiled down at her, and she stepped closer. She couldn't help herself. A warm feeling flooded her, and she felt certain that he would kiss her. His copper gaze skimmed her face and came to rest on her lips. Her breath caught in anticipation. She shifted her weight to her toes, ready to rise up to meet him. But then he eased back and turned the doorknob. The door opened a few inches.

“If, um, you should change your mind about attending church with the aunties and me on Sunday...”

Disappointment dealt her a crushing blow, but she managed to keep her chin aloft. “I've already told Uncle Chester and Aunt Hilda we'll be going with them.”

“All right, then.”

“About Saturday night, though...”

“Oh, um, I'm not sure. With my parents here and everything... I'll try, though. I would like to get to work on the app.”

“Yes. The app.”

“Well, good night.”

“Good night.”

He slipped out and closed the door behind him. She tried very hard not to cry. She kept telling herself it was for the best. He wasn't the man for her. No good could come from putting herself in Phillip Chatam's way more than necessary. But she didn't have to be happy about it, did she? Besides, he'd said he would try to come by on Saturday night so they could work on the smartphone app. And who knew what might come of that?

* * *

Phillip didn't show up on Saturday evening. He hadn't actually said he would, of course, and Carissa tried to convince herself that she hadn't believed he would, but she couldn't help feeling disappointed and foolish. Glad that she'd decided to attend church the next morning with Chester and Hilda, she consoled herself with the idea that she wouldn't have to face him. She prayed herself to sleep that night; it was that or cry again.

The children complained about getting up early the next morning, but they were happy enough by the time they piled into the vehicle with Chester and Hilda. They all went together in Carissa's minivan, with Chester doing the driving, Aunt Hilda riding up front in the passenger seat and Carissa sitting in the bucket seat next to Grace. That left the boys to share the third-row bench in the back.

As Carissa slid the door closed, Grace looked around and asked, “Where's Phillip?”

Carissa's heart did a little flip. Had he become such a part of their lives, then, in spite of everything? She managed a smile and said, “He's going to church with his aunties.”

“Oh,” Grace said confidently. “He's saving us our seats.”