Waiting for You (8 page)

Given Kate’s occupation, Karise shouldn’t have been surprised at the
transformation the winery had undergone in a few short hours, but she
still had to admit she was impressed. Even more striking was that despite
the pony rides, petting zoo, and endless tables of food, Kate managed
to make the party feel like a child wonderland and not a pompous
display of wealth. Of course, the exuberant dog bounding around with
his tongue lolling did a lot to make the scene more down-to- earth.

“You look cute,” Kate observed as she handed Karise a bag of
balloons. “Can you take
these
to Gavin? He’s got a helium tank out back.”

Karise would have told Kate she looked nice as well, but she’d
already turned her attention to the caterers unloading large silver
chafing dishes that smelled suspiciously like barbeque. Karise’s stomach
grumbled. She placed a hand on her belly in hopes of silencing it as
she went in search of Gavin.

He smiled and waved when she approached, accidentally letting go of the balloon he was in the process of tying. “Damn.”

Karise caught the balloon as it sailed by her head. “This is so cool.
Jonathan is a lucky kid.”

“Kate is pretty amazing, isn’t she?” His grin deepened.

“I do have to admit I didn’t peg the two of you as big cowboy types,
though.”

“Jonathan loves old westerns. Don’t ask me why or how Kate
discovered that, but he does. I think it has something to do with late- night desperation when he had colic.”

“Makes sense.” It didn’t really, but Karise knew nothing about child
rearing, so who was she to say?

“And Kate grew up in New Mexico. She’d never admit as much,
but sometimes I think she misses it. Maybe we’ll go there for our
next vacation.”

Karise had never seen Gavin ramble. She couldn’t be sure if it was
excitement or nerves, but either way it was sweet. She couldn’t get over how much she liked this couple. They were too cute for words.
She listened to him talk about this, that, everything and nothing as she
tied balloons and curled string. She had moved on to tying balloon
bouquets when she heard the rumble of Aidan’s truck. Her heart
quickened, but she gave no outward sign of it.

Gavin’s face lit up, and he left Karise alone with the balloons. He
reappeared a few moments later with his son in his arms. The little boy
was enthralled with the decorations, and Gavin soon had his hands full keeping them out of his charge’s mouth.

“Hey,” Aidan greeted Karise warmly.

Her return expression shared his warmth, even if it wasn’t effusive. “Hey.”

“Hi.” A little girl pulled Karise’s gaze away from Aidan. With one
arm wrapped firmly around Aidan’s leg, her other hand rested on her
hip as she stared at Karise with an unflinching gaze. She had the distinct
impression the bedazzled cowgirl hat on the girl’s head wasn’t the only
thing sassy about her.

Karise might not be able to tell what the kid thought of her, but it
was obvious whose daughter she was. They shared the same pure blue
eyes and dark hair, though hers was pulled into a wispy ponytail. Even
their expressions were the same. Karise knelt down and regarded the girl just as evenly as she was being regarded. “Hello, Zoe.”

“You’re pretty.”

“Thanks. So are you.”

“Are you going to marry my daddy?”

Karise glanced up at Aidan, relishing the look of mortification on
his
face for a change. Without cracking a grin, she looked back at Zoe.
“I’m not really interested in marrying anybody right now. Is it okay if your dad and I are friends, though?”

Zoe
seemed
to consider the proposition before nodding her approval.

“Cool, because I’m new in town. I can use all the friends I can get.”
She stood, looking Aidan in the eye.

“I’ll be your friend.” There was no hesitation in the child’s voice.

Now Karise did smile. “Thank you.”

“Daddy got you a present.”

“Another one? You’re going to spoil me.” She couldn’t help being
curious about what was in the bag Aidan held out to her. She peeked
inside and laughed, producing a straw cowgirl hat with a leather band
and a turquoise accent. “I totally needed one of these.”

“We stopped at the store to get Zoe’s, and it occurred to me that
you were probably equally deprived.” He took the hat out of her hands
and placed it on her head. “Much better.”

“I mean, it’s not as amazing as Zoe’s hat, but it is pretty wonderful.”
Karise tugged lightly on the brim. “What do you think, Zoe?”

“It’s okay.” The girl was honest if nothing else.

“I think it’s adorable.” There was a husky undertone to Aidan’s voice that sent shivers skittering down Karise’s spine.

“Do you want to go check out the petting zoo with me?” She found
herself extending a hand toward the girl, if for no other reason than to escape the father.

“She might not want to leave my side,” Aidan warned.

“Sure.” Zoe let go of his leg to grab hold of Karise’s fingers. The pair sauntered off together without hesitation.

“That’s a terrifying sight,” he called out to their retreating backs.

Karise glanced back at him and waggled her eyebrows.
Let him
worry. It’ll be good for him.
Gavin’s laughter followed them, and Karise
knew he was enjoying the situation as immensely as she was.

The smell of the animals grew thicker the closer they got to the
petting zoo. It wasn’t bad, just distinct. The larger pens housed a calf, donkeys, pigs, goats, and even an alpaca. Smaller cages held rabbits, turtles, and guinea pigs.

“You have to help me here. I don’t know what to do,” Karise admitted.

“What?” Zoe looked at her like she was insane.

“I’ve never been to a petting zoo before. I’ve never even had a
pet of my own.”

“Nu-uh.”

“For real.” Karise had never been opposed to animals; she’d just never had time for them.

“Not even a puppy?”

“Nope. I mean, we had chickens when I was a little girl, but they weren’t really pets.”

“Wow.” Zoe shook her head in disbelief. “I have lots of pets
and
I have chickens.”

“You do? How many pets do you have?” Karise tried to picture Aidan taking care of chickens.

“32.”

Karise gave her a look that said she didn’t believe the little girl’s claims, but she didn’t dispute them. Instead she reached out to pat a nearby goat on the head.

“Not like that.” Zoe rolled her eyes before demonstrating. “Like this.”

“They like getting their neck scratched, huh?”

“And behind their ears.”

Karise imitated the girl’s movement, discovering that Zoe was right.
The goat definitely had a sweet spot. It even rewarded her with a little
goaty smile.

Zoe nodded approvingly. “Good job.”

Karise laughed when the animal tried to get its lips around the end
of her sleeve. She studied the cute little creature with its brown and
black splotches on a blanket of white. “Their eyes are weird.”

Aidan knelt down beside Karise. “That’s what I thought at first, but you get used to it.”

“Oh, you have a lot of experience with goats, do you?”

“I told you we have lots of pets,” Zoe reminded her.

“You’re a goat farmer?” Karise choked on the question.

“I prefer to think of it as a producer of specialty cheeses, but yes, goats are a part of it.”

Karise stood up abruptly, turning her back to the fence and folding
her arms across her chest. “You told me you were an artist.”

“I was just messing with you,” he admitted with a sheepish grin, rising to lean against the fence next to her.

“You brat.”

Zoe looked from one adult to the other, soaking up every word they said.

“I was an art major in school. I had a little bit of a career in it,
before…” He cast a glance down at Zoe. “I still design our labels, if that
counts for anything.”

Karise didn’t know if she was perturbed or amused. With a slight shake of her head she looked down at Zoe and summed it up with one
word: “Men.”

“Men.” Zoe nodded in full agreement.

“Are you going to be a bad influence on my daughter?” Aidan looked mildly concerned.

Karise put on her most angelic expression. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

That seemed like as good of a place as any to leave things, so she bid the pair farewell and went to see if there was anything she could do to help Kate. She stayed busy after that, running any errands that were needed and when none were, she chatted with the stream of people Kate or Gavin brought her way for introductions.

Many of the faces blended together, however hard Karise worked
to keep them all straight. The pair that stood out easily was Kate’s
father and stepmother. Jack was a handsome man, one who’d obviously been young when he’d become a father. Physically, the only thing they
shared was the same unusual shade of moss green eyes. It was their
mannerisms that gave away the connection between them. Tara looked
to be about Kate’s age. She was a beautiful woman with blond hair,
brown eyes, and an enchanting smile. Karise liked Tara almost as quickly
as she had Kate and Gavin, even if she was yet another in a long line of artists that fate seemed to be throwing her way.

Jack, on the other hand, seemed wary of
Karise
. She told herself she
was probably just imagining it, until an offhand remark in the buffet
line furthered her impression. Karise was so focused on finally getting
to eat some of the barbeque that had been tantalizing her for ages that
she almost missed it when he engaged her in conversation.

It finally
clicked
that his comment about the party had been
directed
toward her, and he was waiting for a response. “It is a lovely party. Kate has a real talent.”

“That’s right – the two of you met at an event she put together out east, right?”

“In Boston.”

“If it were anyone other than Kate, I’d think it odd.”

Karise waited for him to expound, but he didn’t. “How so?”

“That she brought you back with her despite not really knowing you. And honestly, that you agreed.”

Some of the joy had just been taken out of Karise’s brisket. “In
the short time I’ve known Kate, she’s been one of the truest friends
I’ve ever had.”

“Ah.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Maybe you’re just kindred spirits.”

“Maybe.” Karise forced herself to smile in return before making a
beeline to the farthest corner of the party. All sense of belonging had been stripped away in that short conversation, leaving Karise to feel like a silly fool who had no business being in these people’s home.

Presents were opened. Ponies were ridden. Cake was cut; Jonathan
wore as much of it as he consumed and squealed with delight after
painting his father’s face with icing. By the time Kate whisked the
birthday boy away for his bath and bed, Karise was emotionally
exhausted. She was about to slink back to the guest house when Aidan
approached, carrying his sleepy daughter.

“I think we’re all partied out.” He planted a kiss on top of Zoe’s head before resting his chin there.

“She has the right idea.”

“You want to snuggle in my arms?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Sleep.”

“You want to sleep in my arms?”

“I want to
sleep
in my bed.” Karise was battling between
amusement
and irritation. At least his antics had eased her self-pity.

“I could come back after I tuck Zoe in.” The tone in his voice told her he was teasing.

Karise knew she wasn’t going to win with the particular mood he was in. “Goodnight, Aidan.”

“Hey Karise,” he called softly when she would have walked away.
“Thanks for today. Zoe really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it.”

“I meant what I said; I can always use friends.”

“You’re killing me.”

She stood on tiptoe so she could lean over Zoe to brush a kiss on his cheek. “See you around.”

“Killing me,” he reiterated to her retreating back.

KARISE MIGHT HAVE GONE
to sleep that night dreaming of Aidan,
but the next day she’d awoken with a renewed determination not to
become entangled. To that end, and to prove herself worthy to Jack
Cooper, she threw herself into her work. It seemed the surest way to
keep her mind off men – both the attractive kind and the butthead kind.
Whenever one would creep his way into her thoughts, she would dig
a little deeper into the task at hand.

She’d debated leaving for about half a minute before setting the
thought aside. Kate was a grown woman and she wanted Karise here.
If Jack didn’t, he needed to take that up with his daughter. Still, it
bothered Karise to her core that someone who didn’t know her was
choosing not to like her. At least she’d earned William’s disdain.

The further she got into the house project, though, the more she
began to question the wisdom of her choice. Doodling sketches of houses
was entirely different from designing a working home, which was
entirely different from designing an office building. The whole process
was taking longer than it should have because Karise kept running
into roadblocks. Just about the time she’d think she was finished, she’d
meet with Kate only to find out the two hadn’t been as in sync as she’d
thought.