Caitlyn's Christmas Wish Page 7

  What mean girls. “I’m sorry.”

  Ridge shrugged. “I realized right then that Grant was the real musical talent in the family. I quit band at the end of the semester and never joined again.”

  Caitlyn was silent for a moment. Wasn’t it awful how some of life’s potentials were never met because of bad experiences with others? “Something tells me you would have been good at it.”

  Ridge lifted one shoulder. “That’s okay. I followed my true interest and have a good career now.”

  “Are you happy, Ridge?”

  He gave her a long look. “I’m content.”

  “That isn’t the same thing.”

  “Sometimes I think it’s the closest I’ll ever be.”

  Caitlyn’s heart nearly broke for this quiet, good man who deserved so much more. Life’s potentials indeed.

  Ridge turned the table on her. “Are you, Caitlyn? Happy, I mean.”

  She took a moment to consider, then answered, “Yes, for the time being. My mother pushed me to be a model from the time I learned to walk. It was all I ever knew. This past year, I’ve learned more about myself than I ever dreamed. I can bake a mean loaf of bread. I can fix a leaky faucet. I can escape in a good piece of literature. I like to dance with Brody in my arms. I have a wonderful son and am a passable parent. I want to be myself.”

  She should have been frightened by the tender look on Ridge’s face. “You’re more than a passable parent. And you don’t need to be anybody else but yourself.”

  Caitlyn agreed for the most part. If only she was brave enough to confess her innermost thoughts to this wonderful man. There was one more person she wanted to be. A wife cherished by her husband, who would also cherish their children.

  It was ludicrous, really. Here she was, a renowned model who had this dream within her grasp. Funny how slippery dreams were. So luscious and poignant in the moment yet fading to nothingness in the wake of reality.

  To be loved by a man worth loving was her dream. Was it really as hard as all that? Or so simple that she’d outdistanced the only man who seemed to be in the running?

  ***

  Ridge was tired after the long day he’d worked. He rubbed his gritty eyes to stay awake. Yet he wouldn’t trade this moment for anything with Brody’s warm body nestled against his and Caitlyn’s head resting on his shoulder. She’d fallen asleep an hour before. Ridge wasn’t about to wake either of them, figuring she probably had a long day, too.

  Especially if Grant had pestered her. That worried Ridge more than he cared to admit. Why had his brother come home? Except for the year that Grant married Caitlyn, he’d skipped the holidays with the family for the past five years. He was constantly on the road. Maybe life was catching up to him, physically wearing him out, and he needed to slow down.

  Life had a way of catching up with everyone. Ridge remembered the day Amelia told him she was leaving as if it was yesterday. Her scornful words and expression was etched in his memory, as if his grief over their daughter’s death hadn’t mattered. As if she was the only one who experienced the pain. He’d wanted more than anything to bring her back from the hospital healthy and exuberant once again.

  But that wasn’t the Lord’s will. Ridge finally gained peace from knowing this. He hoped Amelia had, too.

  A nurse’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Brody Reel?”

  “That’s us.” Ridge nudged Caitlyn, who sat up in a daze. “Our turn,” he whispered. Once her eyes cleared, she slung the diaper bag over her shoulder and preceded him down the hallway. The doctor ordered a few tests and then they waited for the results.

  An interminable period later, the threesome finally left the hospital, tired and hungry. Ridge glanced at his watch. Almost four in the morning. Caitlyn squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry for putting you through all of this, Ridge. Had I known it was just a really bad cold instead of a sinus infection, I wouldn’t have dragged you here.”

  “Don’t be sorry, Caitlyn. I’m glad we took him in and eased your mind. Good to know he’ll be fine soon.”

  They were approaching Caitlyn’s car when a man with a camera appeared out of nowhere, it seemed. The camera flashed in rapid succession. In the grayish dawn, Ridge squinted his eyes against the onslaught. “Hey! Stop, you jerk!”

  The cameraman took off running. Ridge started to follow until Caitlyn called him back. “It doesn’t do any good to pursue them. The media gets what they want and the public sees what they want to see. All you can do is hope that most people have the good sense to look at both sides of the story.”

  “It’s irritating, though.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Ridge pondered her words on the way to a twenty-four-hour drugstore to purchase a few items the doctor had suggested. Hanging out with Caitlyn even at a hospital had been enjoyable until media hounds found them. Could he live a life in a fishbowl? Grant seemed to enjoy it. Caitlyn seemed to tolerate it but didn’t let it run her life. He admired the balance she’d found.

  When Ridge finally pulled up in front of his parents’ home, he came around to help her unbuckle Brody. “Just detach the car seat from the base,” she instructed. “We’ll let him sleep in it so he can breathe easier.”

  Carrying Brody inside, car seat and all, Ridge gently set him down on the floor. So many memories of rocking his little girl Hannah, watching her gently sleep, filled his being. A sense of gratitude that he’d been given such a precious gift, and that he could help Caitlyn with her son tonight, permeated his heart.

  “Why don’t you leave Brody downstairs for now and get some rest? I’ll stay with him and catch a few winks on the couch.”

  Caitlyn hesitated. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I hate to tell you this, but you look tired.”

  She chuckled. “So do you. But I think I’ll take you up on that offer.” After gently kissing her son’s forehead, she stood and placed a light kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He watched her go, raw emotions from their time together tugging at him. He glanced down at his nephew who slept, albeit uncomfortably. In the quietude of the moment, Ridge finally asked himself some hard questions. What was developing between Caitlyn and himself? Was he ready to move on with his life? Was Caitlyn even interested in pursuing a relationship with him? Could he be the kind of husband and father they needed, the kind his ex-wife had said he would never be?

  And, perhaps the most daunting of them all: how would Grant react?

  How did a man go about wooing his brother’s former bride?

  Chapter Twelve

  Ridge awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking and to the sight of Grant staring at him, his clenched jaw contrasting sharply with the sight of little Brody slurping on a bottle in his arms. “Heard you had an adventure last night.”

  Rubbing the sleep from his still-gritty eyes, Ridge mumbled, “It wasn’t exactly a stroll in the park.”

  Grant didn’t even ask about his son. “Why didn’t Caitlyn call me?”

  The higher Grant raised his voice, the more defensive Ridge became. “Would you have answered?”

  “Of course.” Grant glared at Ridge. “I don’t see why she’s always calling you for help with Brody. You’re not his father.”

  The jibe hit its target. Ridge wanted to be Brody’s father. He wanted to be Caitlyn’s husband. He wanted to feel happy and whole again. But what he wanted didn’t matter as long as Grant continued to act like the jilted groom. Ridge was tired of his brother always playing the victim.

  “Listen, Grant. I’m tired and cranky. You don’t really want to get into this with me right now.” Ridge stood and headed for the door. “I’m going home and getting more sleep before I have to drive over to Casper to pick up Mom’s costume order. Maybe we can talk about this after that.”

  Grant’s next words made Ridge’s hand pause on the doorknob. “I told you to leave her alone, Ridge. I mean it.”

  Ridge whirled. “You have no say in whom Caitlyn chooses
to spend her time with. The fact of the matter is you gave up that right before your son was born. You may have more money than me and are more than welcome to use it to try to influence others, including a judge, if that’s what you want. But you’re not fooling Caitlyn. She can see right through you.” At least, Ridge hoped she could. From the little she’d said about hers and Grant’s interactions over the past few days, he thought she did.

  Grant’s face paled but Ridge was too worked up to care. “So give it your best shot. I really hope you want to be a father to your son. But if you’re just toying with his and Caitlyn’s feelings, you’d better watch out. Because I’m not about to let you get away with treating her like dirt this time.”

  Before he could utter a comeback, Jacinda came running around the corner. “What’s all this shouting about? Ridge! Grant! What’s going on?”

  “Nothing, Mom. I’m just leaving. Brody’s still not feeling well and Caitlyn’s exhausted. Can you stick around this morning to help her out? Or do you have other places you need to be?”

  “I suppose I can stay for a while.”

  “Hello! What about me?” Grant raged. “I’m Brody’s father, for crying out loud.”

  “Then act like it, Grant,” Jacinda said coolly. “Show us you really mean it. You take care of him this morning so that Caitlyn can rest. I need her to be in top form tomorrow night.”

  “What’s tomorrow night?”

  “You’ll have to wait until then to find out.”

  The nativity scene. Ridge wasn’t normally one to involve himself in playacting, but an idea suddenly came to him. “Mom, can you step outside for a minute? I need to talk to you.”

  After closing the door behind them, she asked, “You’re picking up the costumes for me today, I believe?”

  “Yes. But I’d like to add one more for the part of Joseph.”

  A smile formed on his mom’s face. “I’ll call Natasha. I like the way you think.”

  ***

  Ah, the good life would soon be his again for the taking, Grant Reel was sure of it. Lying back on the king-sized bed in the hotel room he’d paid for with his overburdened credit card, the only one that hadn’t yet exceeded its limit, Grant fought a momentary feeling of guilt for coming back here. For pretending he wanted to be here.

  After wiping the slime of his kid’s spit-up off his shirt sleeve and kissing Caitlyn goodbye yesterday, Grant holed up in this room, emerging only long enough to regale a flock of curious news reporters about his current status in the hotel lobby. That had been the highlight of his day—well, second to kissing Caitlyn again. Although, he thought darkly, she hadn’t kissed him back.

  And then to find out this morning that she’d been with his brother all night made him see red. Who’d have thought that nice, boring Ridge would spoil his plans? As far as Grant was concerned, Ridge could find any free chick in this hick town and settle down to his mundane life. Why did he have to romance his ex?

  Seeing Caitlyn in person again after their divorce had almost done him in. Man, she was hot. And though he wouldn’t say it out loud, she looked even better now than when they married. Guess that rehab place helped her after all. Grant wished he’d paid more attention to Caitlyn when she was his wife. Now, he was facing an uphill climb getting her back.

  And the price he had to pay was to become a full-time father. That chubby kid had been sick all day and night. Not knowing this caused Grant to miss out on a great opportunity to show Caitlyn that he was serious about reentering her life. And Ridge cashed in! Grant slammed his fist on the nightstand, not even caring about the pain vibrating through his bones afterward.

  Somewhere in the midst of Grant’s half-drunken stupor, his brain registered the sound of his cell phone. Let it ring, he thought. It was probably just another of his lady friends or his brainless publicist. But what if it was the clinic following up on his post-surgery? Or the hounds they had set on him recently for not paying his bill in full? Or maybe it was his agent securing a paying gig for him.

  He reached for the phone. “Reel speaking.”

  “Grant.” His hopes plummeted. It was just his dad.

  “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”

  “Tonight is the closing ceremony for the Winter Festival. Your mother and I already planned on having formal pictures taken as mayor and family. We didn’t let you know about it earlier since we didn’t think you would be here.”

  Gee, thanks, he wanted to say. Although his dad was right about the fact that he rarely spoke to them these days. A tiny frisson of guilt pinged his conscience.

  “Think you can be at the pavilion at four o’clock? I realize it’s early but we need to hold the photo session before the sun goes down and it gets too cold.”

  “Yeah, especially for Brody.”

  “Brody won’t be there, I’m afraid. Caitlyn has decided to keep him home, which we all agree is wise since he’s been sick.”

  Grant cursed under his breath. This would have been the perfect way to plant himself right at her side—in front of a camera.

  “What do you say, Grant? Think you can do this for your old man?”

  “I didn’t bring a suit.”

  “Maybe you can borrow one from Ridge. You’re about the same height and weight.”

  Grant gritted his teeth. Over his dead body. He’d have to put some cash down on a cheap rental here in town. His stash was dwindling at an alarming rate. “Okay, Dad. I’ll be there.”

  “Thanks, son. You know, I don’t tell you this often, but I just want you to know that I love you.”

  Grant winced. Those words were as uncomfortable to him as the thought of swallowing a thousand beetles. “Thanks. Er, love you, too.” He repeated them in a rush. They said their goodbyes in a hurry and Grant took another swig of his beer as he stared mindlessly at the television. Aside from planting the seed of doubt in Caitlyn’s mind concerning his parents’ intentions, how else could he convince her to marry him? She didn’t seem to be warming up to him. How could he convince her that he’d finally changed? Guess he’d have to keep up the penitent act a little longer, just until he got a hold of his son’s trust fund. Or maybe he could simply convince Caitlyn to pay off his debts if he gave their marriage his best shot.

  She’d go easy on him, right? After all, she’d put up with his affairs for a time. But now she was wiser. It probably didn’t hurt that he’d thrown in the bit about wanting more children, even if his stomach roiled at the thought.

  She had to believe Grant. She just had to. Because his funds were running low. And time was running out. If he wasn’t so dead-set on never stepping inside that stinking jail cell again, he might be tempted to take more drastic measures. Or just come clean about the real reason he was pursuing her. Dear heaven. This debt problem was driving him mad!

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ridge made it to Casper and back home safely, which was a miracle in itself considering how tired he was and the heavy traffic on the road as Christmas travelers were to reach their destinations in time. But the drive had been worth it. When he asked Natasha about a costume for Joseph, she said, “I’m glad you asked. I wondered if I should say something about the fact that he wasn’t part of the program. But I didn’t want to overstep my bounds. As it turns out, I have the robe from a costume that someone ordered back in June for a Shakespearian play. And I’m sure I can find a tunic to go along with it. Let’s get it out and take a look.”

  Less than two hours later, Ridge’s costume was ready. Ridge swung by her shop to pick it up after eating lunch and running a few more errands, which included shopping for a long cane. He was pleased with the results. Natasha sewed a lined blue head mantle and paired it with a long white tunic with a matching deep blue robe.

  At a quarter to four, Ridge entered his parents’ home, wondering at the relative quiet. Surely Caitlyn hadn’t gone anywhere with Brody today. “Hello?” he called.

  Caitlyn appeared seconds later, looking as beautiful as ever in a deep red sweater, snug pair o
f jeans and a cute pair of Rudolf slippers. “All dressed up, I see,” he teased.

  Grinning widely, she flexed her feet. “Yep. Now you know my deepest, darkest secret. My Rudolf slippers and I are inseparable. At least at home in the winter.”

  “How’s Brody?”

  “Still a little grumpy but sleeping and eating better.”

  “Good. He had me worried.”

  “Me, too.” Then Caitlyn’s brows furrowed. “Aren’t you going to be late for the family photo session?”

  Ridge smacked his palm against his forehead. “I forgot. I was just happy to get the costumes for tomorrow.”

  “You don’t have much time.”

  “You’re right. Can you do me a favor and call Mom to let her know I’m running late but should make it there in about twenty minutes?”

  “Okay.”

  Ridge hesitated before placing a kiss on her cheek. He’d love to give her a more thorough goodbye but time was of the essence. He’d come over later and do it properly then. Her ready smile told her she’d be waiting.

  ***

  “Thanks for your patience, folks. That wraps things up for now.” Their photographer, Torrie Davidson, packed up her equipment and the members of the Reel family dispersed from the group of local reporters that gathered after catching wind of the photo session. Wanting to hurry back to Caitlyn after listening for the past half hour to Grant’s plans to pay her a visit, Ridge hopped down the pavilion steps only to be stopped by another reporter he didn’t recognize.

  “Mr. Reel, I wonder if you might answer a few questions for me.”