After Sundown (15 page)

"Where's Kit?" Just as Cole asked the question, Kit walked in the room, coming from the direction of the kitchen
.
She stopped abruptly and
her eyes
widened
. She had not heard Cole arrive. Before she could say a word, Andrew glanced at his
watc
h,
and then
looked up to Kit.

"We better get going if we're to make our reservation
,
" Andrew informed pleasantly. Cole's eyes narrowed, hi
s gaze swept from Kit to Jameson
. Kit was wearing a dress Cole had never seen before. He noticed
she was wearing
dark nylons
and he couldn't help but wonder if they were panty
hose. He sure as hell hoped so.

Glancing nervously at the clock, Kit snatched up her purse and coat
,
which she tossed on a chair earlier
. She began to introduce Cole to Andrew when Susan
hastily
informed her introductions had already been made.

"You two get
going.
I'll help Cole get Megan's stuff
togethe
r,
" Susan offered brightly, unaware of the dark
scowl
Cole
fixed on her sister-in-law
.

"Yes, don't make yourself late on my account
,
" Cole grumbled, resisting the
impulse
to snatch Kit's coat and purse from her grasp and fling Andrew out the door.

It wasn't until Andrew and Kit had left that Susan noticed the ang
er
on Cole’s face.
The other
da
y,
Brandon
had told her some
ridiculous
story about his sister having a
one-night
stand with Megan's father. Susan suspected her husband was playing some childish practical joke on her, and
she
refused to take him
seriou
sly
. When
she had
been with Kit on Halloween night, she never mentioned Cole. Although, she had to admit her
siste
r-in-law
seemed more
distracted
than usual during the past few days.

After watching Cole's reaction to Kit and Andrew, she suspected her husband had been telling the truth after all. Yet, according to
Brandon
, Cole's only
interest
in his sister was sexual. After witnessing
his
obvious display of jealousy,
Susan
began to suspect there was more to the story.

Did Cole think Andrew was Kit's date
,
she wondered.
P
erhaps it
did seem that way and no one
had
bothered to explain the situation.

"Who the hell is that guy?" Cole demanded the moment Megan and Sarah darted up
stairs to retrieve Megan's back
pack.

"Andrew?" Susan asked innocently. She watched as Cole impatiently paced the room, his
fingers
absently
combing
his hair,
and
his dark eyes repeatedly darted to the front door, as if he expected Kit to reenter at any
moment
.

"I don't really know him
,
" Susan said
truthful
ly
.

"
Brandon
said she had a date tonight
,
" Cole grumbled under his breath. "I thought he was just being an ass."

Susan's eyes
grew wide with
surprise. Had her
husband
told Cole
that
Kit was going on a date? She had to smile. It would be just like him to say something like that if he believed Cole was mistreating his si
ster. Perhaps a little jealous
y wasn't such a bad thing. Yet, by the
looks of Cole, too much jealous
y would likely be a very dangerous thing. The man appeared to be ready to explode at any moment. Could it
truly
be possible
that
Susan's conservative, o
ld
-
fashioned, homebody, sister-in-
law,
indulged
in a night of lust?

"Don't you think it's about time Kit started to date?" Susan asked sweetly
.

Before Cole could respond
,
the phone rang. Flashing Cole a
reluct
ant
smile,
Susan
rushed into the kitchen and snatched up the phone's
receiver
.

"Hello?
Brandon
-
you're kidding! But I have to watch
Sarah
-
hold on."

Susan placed her hand over t
he phone's mouth
piece and glanced up at Cole. "It's
Brandon
,
"
s
he explained. "His truck broke down and he doesn't want to leave his tools in the back of his truck. He wants me to meet him."

"You
need me to watch Sarah?" Cole
asked.

"Would you?" Susan
gave him a weak smile.

"Sure,” he agreed.

An hour
later
,
Cole
stretched
out on Kit's
living room
recliner.
He'd built a fire in the
fire
place and he was
already
enjoying its warmth.
The girls had each had a bath and Megan had slipped into a borrowed nightgown.
Togethe
r,
the girls sat on the couch, sharing a
puzzle
.
After a few moments
,
Megan yawned, curled up on the edge of the small sofa and promptly fell asleep.

The room was dark and quiet,
except
for the gentle flicker and
firelight
emanating
from the
fireplace
.
Sarah pu
shed herse
lf from the couch and went to stand beside Cole, whose eyes were shut, his breathing even.
The small blond
e
child stared at the
resting
man until at last he
sensed
Sarah's presence. Flashing open his eyes abruptly, Cole looked into the innocent blue gaze. The
resemblance
to her mother startled him. He smiled gently.

"Are you okay
,
Sarah?" He asked softly, his hand reached out and brushed his
foref
ing
ers
across the bridge of her tiny nose.

"Megan's asleep
,
"
she whispered.

"Do you want to go to bed now?" Cole asked. In answer
,
Sarah shook her head no, and
promptly
climbed onto Cole's lap. Grunting from the unexpected
assault
, Cole
shifted his body slightly to get more comfortable.
Giving Sarah an affectionate smile, his eyes swept over the small child. Her appearance was a stark contrast to his daughter. Megan's body was sturdy, whereas Sarah was all angles and waiflike. He wondered if Kit had
loo
ked
like this as a small child. Blond
e
curls framed an angelic face.

He'd never been terribly fond of other people's children.
Over the
past
weeks
,
he had come to know
Sarah
,
and he was surprised that the feelings he had for her
felt
suspiciously
akin to the emotions he felt toward his own daughter.
He
realized how easy it would be for him to come to love this child as his own. That realization was startling.

"I'm glad you stayed instead of Aunt Susan
,
" Sarah announced as she snuggled down into the protective warmth of Megan's father.

"Don't you like your Aunt Susan?" Cole was surprised at Sarah's announcement.

"I love Aunt
Susa
n, but
Mommy is happier when you come over."

"She is?" Cole absently brushed the bangs off the small forehead.

"How come you never visit Mommy anymore?"

"What do you mean, Sarah?"

"You
us
ed
to visit mommy each night. I know it made her happy."

"How do you know that?" Cole was amazed at what small children revealed. He suddenly wondered what secrets Megan shared with Kit.

"Because you haven't visited all week and she's been sad."

"Why do you think she's sad?"

"Because she cries every night
,
" Sarah explained as she wiggled her toes.

"She
cries
?"

"Late at night. When I go to the
bathroom,
I hear her. She
lies
in the bed and cries. Why does she
cr
y,
Cole?"

"Maybe she misses your
d
addy
." Cole wondered if Kit was still grieving for her husband.

"I don't remember my
d
addy
. I don't remember Mommy crying before. Not like she does now."

"When d
id this start?" Cole
asked.

"The
first
time I heard Mommy crying was Sunday night, after we came home from Uncle Brandon and Aunt Susan's house."

Cole felt a sudden clenching in his gut. Was Kit crying for him
or
was she crying over what they had
experienced
? Did sh
e regret their evening together
or did she want more
?
Either way, Cole knew he had a major problem. If Kit had been crying the entire week because she regretted their shared passion, then Cole knew he would never be able to extend their affair. How could he in good conscience seek out a woman who was not emotionally prepared to deal with an affair? He wanted to bring Kit pleasure, not guilt.
Had
she been crying because she wanted more, what would that mean? Long ago
,
Cole decided love and marriage was not in his future.
He wanted Kit’s friendship and her body. He did not want a commitment. Was it possible that was what she wanted?

Sus
an arrived
half an hour later
and Cole
left
without seeing Kit.

Chapter
Sixteen

Kit couldn’t believe it was almost Thanksgiving and she kept asking herself where the time was going. She also couldn’t believe how little she had seen Cole since their one night of passion.

It was obvious to Kit that Cole’s interest in her was exactly what he initially expressed. He simply wanted to finish what they started at After Sundown and then move on.
No longer was Megan having dinner each night with her and Sarah. Instead, Cole
was
picking up his daughter promptly at
5:30
each night and never wandered beyond Kit’s front entry. Whatever friendship she and Cole had developed no longer seemed to exist, and their relationship was
strictly employee and employer.

Cole explained it was no longer necessary for Megan to stay for dinner, as the da
ys were shorter, due to winter and he told Kit he wanted to spend more time with his daughter. When Kit offered to return the babysitting fee to what it was before Megan started staying later, Cole refused.

This new Cole behaved exactly as she initially expected a parent to act toward his child’s caregiver. He treated her with utmost respect, polite and
recognizing
boundaries. No longer did they enjoy intimate chats, nor did he linger over a slice of homemade bread or make some inappropriate sexual innuendo.

Kit missed the brief
friendship
she shared with Cole prior to their sexual liaison. While she had stopped crying over the episode and told herself to grow up and get on with her life, her heart still raced each night
when Cole
picked up Megan.
One thing she was grateful for was the fact that he allowed her to keep watching his daughter. It wasn’t all about the money; it was about Megan. Kit had grown to love the child and thought of her as a second daughter.

Kit
was about a week late with her period, yet she wasn’t concerned.
Her
monthly cycle had always been erratic, and when under stress, the days between her periods were never consistent. This wa
s
particularly obvious after
Kevin’s murder, when she went 45 days between periods. Since she and Cole had used condoms, and it had taken her a long time to get pregnant with Sarah, she didn’t worry about pregnancy. When trying to conceive Sarah, she and Kevin were a step away from consulting a fertility clinic, when Kit finally became pregnant.

The week before Thanksgiving, Cole informed Kit that she wouldn’t have to watch Megan the
following
week. He made a last minute decision to take Megan out of school
and spend Thanksgiving week at the mountain home he inherited from his father-in-law. It had been over a year since he and his
daughter had taken a vacation together.

Cole was also relieved to put a little space between Kit and himself.
It had become a personal challenge to maintain a distance from
his daughter’s caregiver
, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep up the disinterested front. He hoped that by avoiding Kit for a week, whatever attraction he had toward her would dissolve.

Since Sarah indicated her mother’s recent tears were on his behalf, and he wasn’t sure if it meant she regretted their intimacy or wanted more, Cole knew that in either
case,
he needed to walk away.
Had Megan not been so happy with Kit, he would have seriously considered finding a new sitter, in spite of the fact it would contradict his initial promise to Kit, to keep their personal relationship separate from their professional one. However, Cole couldn’t allow his
daughter’s welfare
to
be jeopardized because of his inability to keep it in his pants.

Cole had learned a lesson from Connie; he was not cut out for marriage. He had no desire to co-parent with another person, not even Kit, who was an excellent mother. A warm and willing body in his bed each night was not enough incentive to get shackled to someone else.

In spite of his
willingness
to walk away
from Kit, he could not deny the physical
attraction
was as strong, if not stronger
than
it
had been on the dance floor at After Sundown. The t
hought
that
she was obviously dating
irritated him, yet he understood he needed to push that feeling aside.

On the Friday before Thanksgiving, Cole headed home early to start packing, before picking up Megan at Kit’s house. He had only been home for about thirty minutes when the doorbell rang. Cole
heard it
just
as he was
preparing to make himself a sandwich. Setting aside the lunchmeat, he went to answer the door. To his surprise, Brenda Stevens stood on the front porch.

“Brenda,” Cole said with surprise. He stood at the doorway, his hand
on the edge of the front door, facing the green-eyed beauty. They hadn’t seen each other since that fateful breakfast, when they’d ran into Kit and Brandon. Cole hadn’t been with a woman since Kit, and the thought of her kept him continually hard. He’d relieved his sexual tension with regular self-gratification, yet seeing Brenda, he was suddenly reminded how much nicer sex was with a soft and willing woman.

“Hi, Cole. I hope you don’t mind. I saw your car in the drive and was surprised to see you home at this time,” Brenda said, sounding
uncharacteristically
shy and timid. “And I never gave back your house key.” Cole then noticed the key in her hand. He wondered briefly if her initial intention was to return it, or to use it to get into his house.

“No, that’s fine, come on
in,
” Cole said after a moment, standing to one side of the door so she could enter. Without waiting for her to offer up the key, he took it from her, and slipped it in his pocket. She didn’t seem upset that he took back the key, yet stopped and turned to face him.

“Megan and I are going away for the week,
so
I’m home to pack.” Cole explained, as he stood in the entry hall with his uninvited, albeit attractive guest.

“Oh, is Megan home?” Brenda asked, sounding suddenly disappointed. She glanced around, as if she might find the child lurking nearby.

“No,
she’s
still at school. I plan to
pick her up later, and head out of town.”

“Oh, so you are alone?” Brenda purred, stepping closer to Cole.

“Brenda, I thought I made myself clear,” Cole reminded her. Brenda didn’t seem to care about what he initially told her. Boldly, she reached out and placed her palm over his groin, giving the hardness a little squeeze. She smiled with satisfaction when she noted the area
expanding
and
hardening
at her touch. Instead of stepping away from her, Cole stood perfectly still, his heart beating a bit faster.

“I’m not looking for a relationship, Cole,” Brenda whispered seductively, stepping closer
,
so that the tips of her breast
s
pressed against his
body, as her hand took a firm hold, gently squeezing the hardness shielded behind denim.

While she wasn’t Kit, Cole figured she was probably just what he needed to get over his
infatuation
with the young widow
. Without saying another word, Cole placed his right hand over Brenda’s, pressing her palm against his groin even harder. He then took her hand in his and led her upstairs to the bedroom.

When they entered the bedroom, Cole turn
ed around and looked at Brenda, who smiled at him provocatively, as she began to unbutton her dress in a slow and seductive striptease. Instead of arousal, Cole found himself inexplicably turned off at the idea of having sex with Brenda. He realized it was absolutely the last thing he wanted to do.

“I’m sorry, Brenda,” Cole said, placing his hand over hers, to stop her from unbuttoning her
dress
.
“I can’t do this. We’ve had some
good
times, Brenda, but it really is over between us.”

“I said I’m not looking for a relationship,” Brenda insisted. She didn’t understand why Cole was stopping her.

“
I apologize for bringing you upstairs. I shouldn’t have
.”

“Is there someone else?” Brenda asked with a frown. She found the idea of a man turning down sex with her inconceivable.

“Someone else?” He asked lamely, immediately thinking of Kit. “No, there is no one else. I just…I just think you should go.”

When Cole picked up Megan later that afternoon, Kit noticed he seemed especially restless and agitated. She wondered briefly if she had done something to annoy him,
because
his attitude bordered on
rudeness
. Kit considered asking him what was wrong,
but
thought better of it, and simply gave Megan a hug
goodbye, telling
her to enjoy the week with her father.

When Monday rolled around and Sarah came home without Megan, the young girl seemed to miss her companion. Over the next few days, Kit came to realize how much time Megan actually freed up for Kit. With Megan off with her father, Sarah had no one to play with after school, and she continually badgered her mother to provide entertainment.

Brandon and Susan invited Kit and Sarah over to their house for Thanksgiving dinner. Kit was grateful for the invitation, as she’d been especially tired recently. Kit suspected it was because of the extra hours
she had
been putting into her consulting business, while trying to keep up with the demands as a mother and maintaining her household.

On Thanksgiving morning, Kit and Sarah slept in late. Kit awoke before her daughter, and the minute she got from
bed,
her head began to spin and her stomach felt queasy. She barely made it to the bathroom when she started to vomit.

When Sarah woke up thirty minutes later, she found her mother sitting on the tile floor of the master bathroom, leaning over the toilet, a wet washcloth in her hand.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Sarah asked
,
a concerned frown on her face.

“I think I am coming down with the flu. Can you call your Aunt Su
san
and see if she’ll come pick you up? I don’t think I’ll be
able to make it to their house for
Thanksgiving dinner.”

An hour later, Susan stood over Kit in the bathroom, while
Brandon
was downstairs making his niece some breakfast.

“Sweetie, you look like
shit,
” Susan was saying, as she
pressed
the palm of her hand over Kit’s forehead, “but
you’re
cool as a cucumber. You aren’t running a temperature. What did you have to eat yesterday
?
T
his could be food poisoning.”

“I don’t know,” Kit tried to recall what she’d had to eat the day before, “I really haven’t been that hungry lately. But I ate the same thing as Sarah and she doesn’t seem to be sick.”

“Well, you must have had something different than Sarah.”

“Crap, I haven’t felt like this since I was pregnant with Sarah,” Kit said wearily, as she got from the floor and stood up, still feeling a bit wobbly.

“Kit?” Susan asked in a serious tone, her gaze fixed on her sister-in-law. Kit glanced up and looked into Susan’s eyes, instantly understanding what she was
asking.

“No…oh no…not I’m not pregnant. I just meant, I haven’t thrown up like this since I was pregnant. But no, I can’t be pregnant.”

“When was your last period?” Susan asked in a soft voice.

“Well,” Kit shut the lid on the toilet and sat down on it, then looked up at Susan. “I am late, but that doesn’t mean anything.
I’m
never regular.”

“How late, Kit?”

“
No,
Susan, I am
not
pregnant. I can’t be pregnant.”