After Sundown (16 page)

“Sweetie, it is entirely possible. After all, you and Cole…”

“No!” Kit snapped. “He used a condom.”

“I hate to say this, but you need to take a
pregnancy test. You know condom
s aren’t
a hundred
percent.

“Okay,” Kit said after a moment’s pause. “I’ll pick up a pregnancy test on Monday if I don’t start my period by then. But, please, don’t say anything to my brother. I don’t want him to worry about me.”

“How about Sarah stays with us the next couple of days. It will give you a chance to get some rest, especially if you are coming down with something.”

“Thanks, Susan. I think that might be a good idea.”

Cole praised himself for his decision to get out of town for the week with Megan. The cabin was an ideal choice for a getaway, although the vacation home could hardly be described as
a
cabin.
Yet
that is how his father-in-law always referred to the house.

The caretaker and his wife had the home ready for
Cole and Megan
, which included a stocked pant
r
y
,
food in the refrigerator
and fresh bed linens
.
Megan hadn’t been to the vacation home since she was a toddler, and only had vague memories of the impressive mountain
cabin
. She was qui
te
awed
at its size, and wondered why they hadn’t invited Kit and Sarah to join them.

“Daddy, why didn’t you ask Kit and Sarah to come with us?” Megan asked as her fathe
r carried her suitcases into the bedroom she would be using during the stay
.

“Why would I do that?” Cole asked with a frown, finding the question somewhat irritating.

“Cause
it’s
Kit and Sarah, Daddy. I wish they were here with us.”

“Megan, I know
you’re
fond of Kit, but
she’s
just your
babysitter,
” Cole snapped, as he tossed her suitcase atop the bed.

“Kit loves me and I love her,” Megan said with a hurt little voice. She didn’t understand why her father sounded so angry whenever
s
he
mentioned
Kit and Sarah. During the ride to the cabin, whenever she mentioned something about either Kit or Sarah, her father would snap angrily.

“Listen, Megan,” Cole turned to face his daughter. “I want to enjoy this week with you. Kit and Sarah are back home, spending Thanksgiving with their family, and
you’re
here with me.
You and I are family, not you and Kit. Kit is just someone I hired to babysit you. She is nothing more than that, and I am sick of talking about her and Sarah.
I don’t want to talk about them anymore while we are here. Okay?”

“Don’t you like them?” Megan asked, her voice barely a whisper, and her eyes wide as she fought the tears.

“Sure,
they’re
okay, but they aren’t important,” Cole
snapped, and added, “
get in your pajamas and get ready for bed. I’ll be back in a few minutes to tuck you in
.
”

When Cole left his daughter standing alone in the bedroom, her sad eyes
swimming in
tears, he felt like a
total creep. He hated the way his daughter looked at him, as if he’d just kicked her favorite puppy. However, Cole knew that in order to get over his
inconvenient attraction to Kit, he couldn’t be reminded of the wom
a
n every ten minutes.
He had no desire to get married again, and he’d come to realize Kit was not the kind of woman who would settle for a casual sexual relationship. He told himself he wanted what was best for Kit.

Neighbors, whom had been friends with his father-in-law, were quick to invite Cole and
Megan
over for various parties and social gatherings
during the week
. Like Cole, the neighbors didn’t live
in the mountain community
fulltime.

It was an active
vacation
and Cole met several attractive women
, friends or family of neighbors,
who were more than willing to spend time with the handsome contractor. While he didn’t take any to his bed, Cole reminded himself that he would not have the freedom to sleep with whom he wanted
if he was shackled to a wife.
He ignored the fact that the only woman he really wanted to sleep with was Kit and told himself it was only a passing
obsession
to overcome.

In spite of his decree to restrict Megan’s discussion of Kit and Sarah, his daughter seemed to enjoy their time in the mountains. On the afternoon they arrived, it began to snow, and by the next morning, fresh snow covered the surrounding landscape. The caretaker located one of the sleds stored in the basement, which Cole and Megan put to good use. Some of the families they visited with had young children, so Megan soon had someone her own age to play with, and did not miss Sarah over much.

Cole
had
made reservations at the near
by inn for Thanksgiving dinner, yet cancelled the reservations when one of the neighbors insisted Cole and Megan
have
the holiday meal with his family.
 

By the time
Cole
and Megan headed home on Sunday morning, Cole was satisfied that
he had
gotten past his infatuation with Kit Landon. He was a little surprised that Megan had listened to him regarding not talking about Sarah and Kit, for she hadn’t mentioned them again while they were at the mountains. While he still felt a little guilt
y
about speaking so roughly, he was grateful she gave the subject a needed rest.

Late Sunday afternoon, when
Cole pulled into his driveway, his daughter was sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat. He parked the car and looked
at Megan
for a few moments before waking her and exiting the vehicle. He was certain
she
enjoyed the week at the mountains and wondered if perhaps it might be a good time to find a new babysitter. While he knew she was happy at Kit’s, he now felt she was perfectly capable of being happy without Kit Landon.

While C
ole felt a little guilty about depriving Kit the addition
al
income, he eased his guilt by deciding to give her severance pay. In the end, it would be best for both of them, he told himself.
First
, he would need to find someone to replace Kit.

Chapter Seventeen

Instead of waiting until Monday, as she had told Susan she intended to do, Kit purchased a home pregnancy test on Sunday afternoon when she went to pick up Sarah. She was feeling better, yet still had bouts of nausea first thing in the morning. As long as she ate a bowl of cereal the moment she woke up, and before going to bed at night, she was able to keep the nausea under control and avoid throwing up, which is how it had been when she was pregnant with Sarah.

Early Monday morning, before waking up Sarah to get ready for school, Kit sat alone in her bathroom, the door locked, as she stared at the results of the pregnancy test. Kit Landon, widow and single mother, was pregnant. Kit closed her eyes and began to cry. Moments later, she threw up.

“What are you going to do?” Susan asked Kit later that morning.
The two women sat at the kitchen table. Kit had just poured two cups of coffee,
but she
hadn’t touched hers.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be drinking coffee,” Kit said as she pushed the full cup of coffee away from her.

“Are you going to have the baby?” Susan asked. She couldn’t imagine how Kit could
possibly
have another child, considering she was alone and already struggling financially.

“I don’t know what I am going
to
do, but
I can’t have an abortion. It just doesn’t feel right,” Kit said in a quiet voice.

“Are you going to keep it?” Susan asked, her eyes fixed on Kit.

“
I can’t give away my baby,” Kit answered.

“Then, when are you going to tell Cole?” Susan asked. At least Cole could help with the finances, Susan thought
. The
man was wealthy.

“I’m not sure if I am,” Kit answered.

“You can’t be serious. Kit, this is his responsibility too. There is no reason he shouldn’t help support this
child,
” Susan insisted.

“I don’t know if I want him interfering with
how
I decide to raise my
baby
.
And how do I know he won’t try and take it from me?”

“Why would he do that?” Susan asked.

“I don’t know. I just got the feeling he would have taken Megan from his wife
if
he been in the financial position to do so. And he is definitely in the financial position now.”

“Don’t be silly.
You’re
a wonderful mother.
I can’t believe Cole would do that.
”

“I don’t know if I c
an
trust him,” Kit said stubbornly.

Susan didn’t respond, but
wondered if perhaps the hormonal changes
were making Kit a bit paranoid regarding Cole’s reaction to the pregnancy.
She suspected it wasn’t the best time to point out that Cole had a right to know about his child. Instead of pressing the issue, Susan decide
d
to give Kit a few days to get used to the idea of the pregnancy, and perhaps
Brandon
could have a talk with her. Kit hadn’t said anything about tell
ing
her brother,
but
Susan decided she would tell
Brandon
this
evening.
She would
make him promise
not to say
anything to Kit, at least, not right away.

Later that
afternoon,
Kit was feeling a bit like her old self again, as she walked to the bus stop to pick up Sarah and Megan. When the two little girls
bounded
off the bus, Megan was her typical self, brimming with conversation. As they walked back up the street, each child holding one of Kit’s hands, Megan chatted away, telling of the snow, sledding and the
good time
she had with her father.

“That sounds like fun,” Sarah exclaimed, as the three w
ent
up Kit’s front walk. “Why didn’t we go with Cole and Megan to the cabin?” Sarah asked, looking up at her mother.

Before Kit could respond, Megan said, “Because you aren’t family. Daddy says Kit is just my babysitter and no one important.” Sarah frowned at her friend’s explanation, and Kit looked stricken.

“Megan,” Kit asked, as she turned from the front door she was about to open, and looked down at the small child. “Did your father really say that?”

“Yes. And he wouldn’t let me talk about you all week. He said he was sick of hearing about
you,
” Megan explained, having no concept of how her words sounded to Kit.

“But I still love you,” Megan blurted out, as she wrapped her little arms around Kit’s waist and gave her a hug, “even if Daddy doesn’t like you anymore.”

Kit felt sick inside and it wasn’t just because of the pregnancy. The idea that Cole didn’t even like her, made her realize the sexual encounter meant no more to him than had she been the bar slut he initially assumed she was.

When Cole came to pick Megan up that nig
ht, Kit stayed in her bedroom and sent Megan downstairs with her things, telling the child to let Cole know she was busy upstairs. Kit stood near her bedroom window, keeping to one side, so as not to be seen. Pulling back the blinds slightly, she looked out the window and watched as Cole led Megan down the walk to his car.

For
a
few days, Kit managed to avoid Cole.
On
Friday, Cole sent his daughter upstairs to tell Kit he needed to talk to her. Reluctantly, Kit came downstairs and found Cole waiting for her in the den.

“Megan said you needed to speak to me?” Kit asked as she entered the room. Cole was standing by the window, looking
outside
, his back to the doorway when Kit walked in the room and asked the question. When he hear
d
her voice, he turned
to face her.

Kit’s heart seemed to do a little flip flop when she saw Cole’s face. It had been several weeks sinc
e
she had
been this close to him. His hair was shorter than
she had
ever seen him wear it, falling just above his collar. She hated to admit how good he looked, and it hurt knowing he didn’t even want to be her friend. Trying to maintain her composure, Kit worked to keep a steady voice and not reveal her inner emotions.

Cole’s gaze swept over Kit. He felt something inside him twist and he resented her for making him feel this vulnerable. She seemed a little pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes, making him wonder if she had been ill. Perhaps that is why he hadn’t seen her all week.

“You’ve been sick
.
”
He was suddenly angry that she had been watching his daughter, when she obviously was not feeling well.
A part of him wanted to scold Kit for not taking care of herself, while at the same
time,
tuck her into bed
and hold her in his arms.

“
I’m not sick,”
she countered, standing up a little straighter.

“You look like hell and
you’ve lost weight,” he snapped. Kit thought he sounded more annoyed than concerned
.

“Why thank you, Cole,” she spat sarcastically.

“This isn’t working out,
” Cole told her.
He didn’t mean to say it quite like that, but the words just popped out of his mouth.

“Excuse me?” Kit asked with a frown. She had no idea what he was talking about.

“Kit, I’m sorry. I’m going about this all wrong. I
guess you were right. It was a mistake…our night together. I should have listened to you.” Kit felt as if she had just been slapped. Tears filled her eyes. In that moment, Cole realized what a fool he had been to imagine one night of lust could possibly purge what he felt toward Kit Landon. It would take much more than one night to get her out of his system, and even if she was willing to be his lover, he couldn’t do that to Kit. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt
her, yet he realized he had already done that.

“Here,” Cole placed a piece of paper into Kit’
s hand, she looked down, feeling numb, yet took hold of the paper. It was a check.

“Everything was my
fault and I hope someday you’
ll forgive me. You’ve been wonderful with Meg
an, but I think it would be best for everyone if you didn’t watch her anymore. I want you to take this severance check,
because you didn’t do anything wrong, I did.”

Kit stood in a daze and watched as Cole turned and silently left her standing alone in the middle of the den. She heard him call for Megan, and a few moments
later,
the front door opened and closed. He was gone.

With tears streaming down her face, she looked down at her hand, and the check she held. She brought it closer to her face
s
o she could see the amount.
He was more than generous.
Closing her eyes, Kit crushed the check in her hand.

Cole wasn’t sure who was more miserable, him or Megan.
Megan couldn’t understand why Kit was no longer her babysitter. As Christmas approached, the holiday seemed to make Megan
unhappier
. The
child wonder
ed
what sorts of magical Christmas preparations
Kit and Sarah were doing without her
.
The
new babysitter hadn’t even put up a Christmas tree, and the cookies she served were store bought.

No longer was Megan keeping silent, as she had over Thanksgiving. Now she talked about Kit and Sarah endlessly, which drove her father crazy. The more he asked her to change the subject, the more she insisted on talking about her former babysitter and best friend. Megan still saw Sarah everyday at school, which enabled her to pepper her daily conversations with new bits of information about the pair. Cole wondered if Megan was intentionally trying his patience.

When Christmas break arrived, and Megan would no longer be seeing Sarah each day, Cole wondered if his daughter would find something new to discuss. Yet, even when Megan wasn’t around to remind him of Kit, the woman was never far from his thoughts. He began to ask himself why it was that he felt it was so necessary to distance himself from Kit. Cole felt strangely empty inside, and he suspected Kit was the reason.

Meanwhile, Kit was dealing with her own set of problems. After Cole dismissed her, she decided she would not tell him about the baby. Knowing she would never be able to give up her own child or have an abortion, she
planned to continue
with the pregnancy and raise it alone. What she would tell Sarah about the baby, and how she would answer the inevitable questions regarding
the
father, she had no idea. Those questions were keeping her up at night, disrupting her sleep.

Susan and Brandon insisted Cole needed to know the truth. Not
feeling she could trust Cole, Kit
decided the only thing she could do was to lie to her brother and sister-in-law, and tell them she had talked to Cole and while he had agreed to help support the child, he wanted nothing to do with it.

“Please, I don’t want to discuss Cole again. And I don’t want you to talk to him. This is between the two of us,” Kit insisted. Reluctantly, Brandon and Susan promised to respect Kit’s wishes.

When
Brandon
ran into Cole at the liquor store, several days before Christmas, he forgot about his promise to his sister. Unable to restrain himself, he walked up to Cole, and stood before the taller man, glaring angrily into the face of his sister’s one time lover.

Cole looked surprised, not because he hadn’t expected to see
Brandon
, but because of
Brandon
’s obviously aggressive stance. The younger man looked as if he was preparing to plant a fist in Cole’s face. Cole took a step backwards, moving away from
Brandon
, and gave a little questioning frown before asking his question.