“You,” Carl said with another hoot.
“Me!'
“Hell, yes. I never thought I'd see you losing sleep over another divorced woman. Didn't you swear off that breed when Shannon jilted you and ran back to her ex?'
Jared rubbed the back of his neck. “I'm not mixed up with another divorcee. Not the way you mean. Katherine's a beautiful, sweet woman, but we haven't-'
“Oh, that's rich. You must be slipping.'
“Katherine and I are just friends.'
“Friends? Boy, you got it bad and don't even know it.'
“I'm doing this for Matt.”
“Really? You should hear how you say her name.'
“The attraction I have for Katherine is purely physical.'
“And you haven't done anything about it? No wonder you can't sleep. It's unnatural, particularly for you. I can't wait to meet her.” Carl's boisterous laughter rang out again.
Jared slammed the phone onto the cradle.
One hour later, still unable to sleep, he threw back the covers and headed for the kitchen.
Chapter Nine
“Matt, what's wrong?” Katherine asked softly. She entered his bedroom and saw the sad look on his face. He raised his head. “You're always the first to the table. Don't you feel well?” She walked to his bed and plopped down on the corner. Lifting her hand, she felt his forehead and cheeks. “You don't have a fever. Thank goodness.'
Tiny worry lines crept between his eyes. “You don't think I'm too much of a baby, do you?” he asked and fell back onto the pillow.
Katherine lay down beside him and pulled him into her arms. “Never.” He nestled against her shoulder. “You're growing up too fast to suit me.'
“I read some, but not all the big words. It's time you stopped reading to me. I can do it myself.” She glanced down at him and his chin quivered.
She pulled him closer. “You're a big boy. If you want to read to me and let me help you with the hard words, I will. But I enjoy the sound effects, don't you?'
“You don't think they're childish?'
“Childish? Where did you hear that word?'
“Last night when Dad read to me. You still think of me as your baby, but I need to grow up.'
“Your dad said that, too?'
Matt nodded.
Katherine took a deep breath and forced her rising temper down. Nothing irritated her more than to hear adults say, “Grow up,” to a child. They grew up all too quickly, and parents were left with an empty house and memories. She'd learned that bit of wisdom from her mother bawling her eyes out when Katherine left for college.
She moved Matt to the side of her, sat up and leaned over to look him straight in the eyes. “Here's how it is between you and me. I'll always be your mom, and you'll always be my baby, even when you're grown and have a family of your own. There's nothing wrong with the word baby. It means you're my child and very special to me.” She swallowed hard. “If childish means having pillow fights, sleepovers, making s'mores late at night, eating popcorn in bed, and watching videos together-sounds perfect to me.'
He smiled up at her. “Me, too.'
She lay back down and his head dropped back onto her shoulder. “What else did your dad say?'
“We'll be living with him soon.'
She clenched her jaw. “He shouldn't have said that. You and me, we're the Two-Musketeers. It's important for you to see your dad, but that doesn't automatically mean we're going to live with him again.” She chewed the inside of her cheek. “Are you okay with that?'
He reached around her neck and hugged her. “Yes.'
“Are you sure?” she asked rubbing his back.
“I'm sure,” he whispered.
Katherine sighed, relieved her decision to discourage Paul would not hurt Matt. “We're going to have the best Christmas.'
He nodded.
She tickled him and he giggled. “It's Tuesday and you know what happens tonight.'
“Tree-trimming!” He rolled away from her and jumped from the bed. “I gotta eat my breakfast, hurry and dress, and find Mr. Randall. We're wrapping presents, and we're gonna put ‘em under the tree after it's decorated tonight.'
She laid out Matt's clothes. “Sounds positively childish to me,” she teased, hoping the negative word now held a positive spin.
He reached his hand out with an ‘all right with the world’ grin. “Come on, Mom. We got a lot of fun things to do today.'
That night, Katherine faced a full-length mirror and slid her stocking feet into red suede heels. She liked dressing up for the party in her sleigh scene sweater. The slit up the back of her skirt revealed cheerful green Christmas trees on the pleats when she walked.
A light rap on the door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in.'
Matt entered, sporting navy blue pants and a snowman sweater. He walked around her, looking at her outfit and nodding, his chin thrust out in a distinctly adult-and charming-manner. “I agree with Mr. Randall.'
“About what?” she asked, putting on her earrings. Turning, she adjusted the red ribbon running through her French braid.
“You're beautiful.'
Her hand froze, leaving the tube of lipstick hovering an inch above her lips. She turned and looked down at him. “That's one of the nicest things you've ever said to me.” She finished applying her lipstick, trying to keep the tremor out of her hand. “Mr. Randall said I'm beautiful?'
Matt nodded. “Sure did.” He toed the carpet with his boots. “Where's Dad?'
“He went to the filling station for ice. The sodas are iced down in the cooler, but we needed a couple more bags.'
“Oh.” He paused. “Can I have a cookie?'
“Of course. They're on a tray in the entryway.'
Katherine followed Matt down the stairs to finish last minute decorations, hoping the house would be big enough tonight for Paul and Jared to coexist peacefully. Her mother and she had taken steps to ensure it, but that didn't guarantee their plan would work. Both men needed to cooperate.
She passed under a brightly-lit swag of garland taped above the archway and entered the living room. Pausing, she turned in a full circle and inhaled the pungent scent of evergreen, cranberry candles and fresh pine. Smells that uniquely said Christmas.
Dropping her gaze from the decorated mantle, her thoughts returned to the two men who needed to cooperate for the night to go well, neither of whom seemed like team players.
Well, she decided heading toward the kitchen where she could hear her mother's voice, she would simply have to talk to Jared. First, about her plans to keep peace tonight. About his irksome need to rescue her. Letting him know she did not require his help might ease some of the tension. She hoped Jared would listen.
