A Soldier's Secret Read online

  Catherine stood up with Natalia and reached to give her another hug. “Welcome to the family, dear. I’m sorry David didn’t make sure we had a proper meeting beforehand, but you’re family now, and that’s all that matters.”

  Natalia’s chest pinched. Family. She wasn’t. She didn’t deserve those words, didn’t deserve the emotions wasted on her. She was an imposter and they weren’t going to be happy campers when they found out the truth.

  “SERENA?” NATALIA CALLED out when she entered the café an hour later and found no one around.

  “I’m in the back.”

  The scent of cinnamon got stronger as Natalia headed back to the kitchen where Serena was, no doubt, still making her famous rolls.

  Natalia could only imagine Serena’s response when she told her about the marriage—and the reception. Why have a wedding reception when they didn’t have a real marriage? That was the question of the day, and she had no answer except that Mac’s mother wanted one.

  Hopefully, her friends would see the humor in it and go with the flow.

  “I got a late start this morning,” Serena said, brushing a stray hair from her eyes with one arm while navigating a giant tray of cinnamon rolls from the oven to the metal counter. “Who knew being a few weeks pregnant would make a person so tired?”

  Natalia snatched up a couple of pot holders and quickly took the tray from her. “You shouldn’t be doing a lot of lifting, should you?”

  “I’m pregnant, not incapacitated.” Her friend laughed. “Though sometimes I wonder.”

  “What? Are you not feeling well?”

  “I’m fine. Just the usual morning sickness and then being tired. It’s the mental thing that has me wondering if I’m cracking up. One minute I’m happy as a clam, and the next I’m taking Cole’s head off.”

  “Hormones. That’s normal, isn’t it?”

  Serena shrugged. “I suppose. When I was pregnant before, I was so stressed out that my out-of-control hormones had out-of-control hormones.” She took off her oven gloves and motioned for Natalia to sit at the small kitchen table near the window.

  The room was at the back of the house, and walking into it made her feel as if she was walking into a Victorian kitchen, with hand-carved cabinets and a butcher-block countertop on one side. The small round table was big enough for only two people and the chairs, mismatched and from different time periods, somehow added to the ambiance.

  “But it’s different now,” Serena added as she sat across from her friend.

  Natalia shook her head. “The situation is different, but the stress of having a child isn’t.”

  Taking a deep breath, Serena closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again. “I’m not stressed,” she said, a little too firmly. “I’m in love and I’m having a child with the man I love. I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

  Natalia gave her a look. “Okay. That’s good.”

  “What? You don’t think I’m happy?”

  “I think if you have to tell people you’re happy, then something is wrong. I don’t mean ‘really’ wrong, but something is bothering you. I can tell.”

  Serena’s shoulders sagged. “Ryan said the same thing.”

  “Well, I don’t know if I’d hang on Ryan’s words of wisdom, but how is he?” Serena’s brother Ryan had a drug problem and had been in jail for a couple years for dealing with coyotes running guns to Mexico. He was now living in Los Angeles.

  “He’s changed.” She hauled in a deep breath. “The rehab helped a lot, and he’s planning on moving back home.”

  “Here? To Spirit Creek?”

  Serena nodded. “He’s lonely and feels he’s paid his dues and should be able to live his life where he wants. He thinks staying away is just avoiding things he has to face.”

  Natalia nodded in understanding. Cole had faced the same thing when he’d come back to Spirit Creek and, now, he was making a happy life with Serena, the love of his life. “Well, that explains it.”

  “Explains what?”

  “You’re worried that if Ryan comes back you’re going to end up taking care of him again, and screw up all that you’ve worked for, including your relationship with Cole.”

  “Cole loves Ryan like a brother.”

  “I know. But I think you’re letting your history with Ryan affect you, and subconsciously, you’re worried that his return means more work for you.”

  “It does. He’s my brother.”

  “But you’re not your brother’s keeper. You figured that out three years ago. So keep that in mind.”

  Serena paused a moment, her forehead furrowing.

  Natalia wondered if she’d already forgotten the intervention they’d had to do, and the toll it had taken on everyone involved.

  “It does bother me a bit,” she said after some thought. “Only this time I feel certain Ryan is going to be okay.”

  Serena couldn’t help herself; she was a loyal, devoted sister, even though Ryan in his druggie days had treated her like crap. She was a first-class enabler.

  She reached out and placed a hand over Natalia’s. “I’m glad I can count on you to straighten me out when I need it. You always give me something to think about.”

  Natalia smiled, more than aware that not everyone appreciated honesty. But she’d never believed in honey-coating the truth, either. That served no purpose in the long run. She straightened her shoulders, drew herself up. Now was the time to tell her friend about her and Mac.

  “You’re right about one thing,” Serena went on. “I am worried. Cole and I have waited so long to be together, and we’re so happy now. We’re finally going to have the family we should have had years ago…and I can’t help thinking something’s going to happen to take it all away.”

  Natalia bit her tongue about her marriage to Mac. “Well, stop it! Your life is wonderful. You and Cole have everything you wanted. You’re going to be married and have a beautiful baby and a marvelous family, and live happily ever after.”

  “I know. I’m so lucky, and I’m an idiot to worry. But it doesn’t make me stop.”

  “You’re not an idiot. Just normal. And I’m the idiot for not telling you sooner that—”

  The bell at the front door rang.

  “Oh my gosh.” Serena bolted from her chair. “That’s probably Karl and his new deputy. I have to get the rolls out there.”

  Natalia drew a deep breath. “Mac and I got married yesterday.”

  Serena froze. She couldn’t have looked any more shocked if she’d been hit by a bolt of lightning. She stared blankly at Natalia, and finally managed a weak smile. “I thought it was…just talk. But congratulations?”

  “Anyone here?” a deep male voice boomed from the café.

  “I gotta go.” Serena wrinkled her nose and turned to leave.

  Damn. Natalia couldn’t just leave it like this. She got up and followed. “Do you want some help?”

  Her friend stopped and turned. “Help?”

  “Yeah, with serving and taking orders…whatever. I have nothing to do for a few hours and it…it might be fun.”

  “You mean fun like making sure I’m not mad at you for not telling me?”

  “I wasn’t thinking that at all, but if it works, what the heck.” She grinned.

  Serena laughed. “Okay. I can’t let you out of here before I hear all the details, anyway.” And on her way down the hallway to the café, Serena grabbed a Cosmic Bean apron from a shelf and tossed it to Natalia. “Put that on. If you’re going to work here, you have to look the part. Besides, a little purple will perk up the black uniform.”

  Holding the apron as she followed, Natalia glanced at her image in one of the half-dozen gilt-framed antique mirrors artfully arranged on one wall, opposite the shelving on the other. Uniform? What was Serena talking about? Natalia’s clothes were far from being a uniform. The black shirt she’d put on today had zippers down the sleeves and her black, silver-studded belt wouldn’t qualify, either. The silver matched her hoop earr
ings, and jeans were jeans. Everyone in Spirit Creek wore them. Hers were black, but they were still jeans.

  She donned the apron, flipped her hair back over her shoulders and went into the café.

  The first person she saw was Deputy D’Angelo, who stood a few paces behind a woman wearing a navy blue business suit, a stranger she’d not seen in town before. Also waiting were the sheriff, Sam Sinclair and Travis Gentry, the town vet.

  Serena was talking to the woman when Natalia came to the counter.

  “I think you might want to speak directly to Natalia instead of me.” Her friend turned to her. “This is Eloise Sharpton, Natalia.” In a lower tone, she said, “She’s from some state agency.”

  The woman barely looked at Natalia before she said, “No, I’m here to talk to you, Ms. Matlock.”

  Serena hesitated. Her friend knew about D.J., and just barely knew about the marriage, but that was the extent of it. The woman couldn’t know about the marriage, either, so Natalia nodded to Serena to go ahead.

  “Oh,” Serena said. “Okay. But I’m busy here until about one-thirty. I should have some time after that if you’d like to stop back.”

  The woman didn’t look happy, but wrote down something on a notepad, presumably the time. “That will be fine,” she said.

  Natalia’s phone vibrated in her pocket just then, and hoping it was Mac, she excused herself and went back to the hallway to check.

  “Mac, I’m glad it’s you. There’s a woman here wanting to talk to Serena.”

  “That’s why I’m calling. I phoned my attorney and told him we were married. He said he’d get the papers ready for us to sign on Monday. Then this social worker called and made an appointment to come here at four to talk to me, so I had to tell her, too, and I need you to be here.”

  “Okay. Fine. But she’s coming back here first. What should I tell Serena?”

  “Nothing. If Serena knows we’re married, there’s nothing more to tell.”

  In her peripheral vision, Natalia saw the woman leave, and heaved a sigh of relief.

  “She’s probably talking to everyone I listed on the papers as references,” Mac said.

  Natalia’s relief was short-lived. “What did you tell her about me?”

  “We’ll talk about that later. Just be sure to be here before she comes.”

  When she hung up, Natalia went back to help Serena, and found that all eyes were upon her.

  Her friend handed her an envelope and said, “The woman asked me to give you this…for your husband.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  MAC PACED. NATALIA HAD said she’d be here at least a half hour before the appointment, so they’d have time to discuss what they were going to say before they met with the social worker, but she was already ten minutes late.

  He knew her well enough to know that if she was late, there was a reason. She wasn’t passive-aggressive like some women he knew. She was straightforward, said what she thought, and while that could be a pain in the butt sometimes, he was glad she wasn’t a drama queen with tons of emotional baggage for him to deal with on top of everything else.

  Still, he alternated between anger and worry. Everything had to go perfectly today. His son’s future depended on it.

  He heard a car in the drive and glanced out the window. Seeing it was Natalia, he went over and swung open the door. “Where have you been?”

  She stopped on the threshold. “You sound like an angry husband.”

  He moved out of the way as she finally barreled past him. “How about a worried husband? I don’t want to screw things up and we need to be in sync when we answer questions.”

  “I know. That’s why I stopped back at Serena’s after doing my shift at the shelter. I had just barely told her that we were married when the woman from the agency showed up at the Bean. And Serena was so busy at the café, I didn’t have a chance to clue her in on anything. So I stopped by again to find out what kinds of questions she was asked.”

  “And?”

  Natalia slid out of her jacket and hung it in the front closet. “And not much.” She headed for the kitchen and he followed, liking the way her jeans hugged her well-toned backside.

  “She said it was easy.” Natalia threw out the comment over her shoulder. “She just talked as if we’d been a couple all along.”

  “No pointed questions to catch her off guard?”

  In the kitchen, Natalia lifted the coffeepot. “Want some?”

  He shook his head.

  She poured herself a cup and stuck it in the microwave. “The woman asked how long Serena had known each of us, and in what context, whether work or just friends. She asked if she knew anything about what we did outside of work, and how involved in the community we were. Stuff like that. Stuff she could answer easily.”

  Mac sat on a bar stool and leaned forward, arms resting on the counter. “Man, I really need a beer.”

  Natalia sat on the stool next to him with her coffee. “You’ll make a great impression with that one.”

  He felt his nerves vibrating close to the surface of his skin. He tapped his fingers against the counter and couldn’t seem to keep his foot from bouncing up and down.

  Natalia touched his arm and leaned against him. “Will you just chill? We’ll have a beer when she leaves with a smile on her face, thinking we’ll be the best parents since Ward and June Cleaver.”

  Natalia’s palm was warm and reassuring, and he couldn’t imagine going through this alone. But as it lingered, he began to feel his blood stir. He took her hand and removed it as he stood. Then he walked to the window and back again. It had been a while since he’d been with a woman, and it was going to be even longer. He had to practice self-control.

  Even though their marriage wasn’t a real one, he had to act as if it was, and that meant he wouldn’t be seeing anyone other than Natalia until his son was there for good. Any little thing could screw things up, and he wasn’t going to do anything he’d regret later.

  “When I talked to Bennett—” Mac began.

  “Bennett?”

  “Steve Bennett, my attorney. When I spoke to him the other day, he said the questions would most likely be about D.J. and how I plan to make his transition easier. I don’t imagine any of that will have changed just because we got married.”

  Natalia nodded. “Depending on how well D.J. speaks English, we may need to get him a tutor.”

  “Right. Good idea.” Something Mac should have thought of.

  “I talked to Olivia Gentry today, and she mentioned a tutor who’s supposed to be very good.”

  He nodded. As the Spirit Creek Elementary School principal, Liv would know. Impressed that Natalia had gone ahead and done what he should have, he sat down next to her again. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. I have all the papers for his school registration, but that’s as far as I got. Thank you so much.” That one detail could’ve cost him. Dearly.

  “What other information should I be familiar with?” Natalia asked.

  He got up, opened a drawer and came back with a packet of papers, which he set in front of her. “That’s all of it, information on the school, my medical coverage, doctor, church, the sitter for after school, some family photos. Stuff about D.J.”

  “Who’s going to watch him after school?” she asked as she pulled papers from the envelope.

  “Mrs. Anderson. She’s been looking for something to do since her husband died, and it’s perfect, because she’s not that far away.”

  Thumbing through the sheets of information, Natalia stopped at a photo of Mac’s family when he was young, maybe ten or so. One where his mom was holding Stella, and his other sisters were standing next to Mac, like a stepladder going down from him to Maggie to Sophia and Rocky.

  “Your mom must’ve had her hands full with so many young children at one time.”

  “She did, especially after our dad died.” Mac had been twelve, and from then on, he’d been the man of the family.

  “What happened?�
��

  “A work accident. One of the buildings he was helping to build collapsed. That was it. One day he was here, the next he was gone.” Mac got up and glanced out the window over the sink.

  “The appointment is at four o’clock, isn’t it?”

  He turned. “Yeah.”

  “Okay, that gives us some time. I’m going to look all this stuff over, and maybe you can just talk while I’m doing it. Give me a rundown on things I might need to know, little things that happened in your childhood that I could talk about.” Natalia looked up from the papers. “If necessary.”

  “You know all about me already.”

  She laughed. “I know a lot about you right now, not much about your past.”

  “Like what?”

  She shrugged and went back to studying the papers. “What’s the name of the high school you attended? I know you lived in Flagstaff, but that’s it. What was your favorite TV show as a kid? Where’s your favorite place to go when you want to be alone? Stuff I’d know if we were really in love and were just married.”

  As far as he was concerned, she knew the same things he’d tell anyone, even someone he was married to.

  “You’re a guy. You can be forgiven if you don’t remember stuff about me. But being female, I won’t win any points if I don’t know the stuff I should about you.”

  “Hey, wait a minute. I think guys are getting a bad rap here. I remember stuff.”

  She sent him a sideways glance. “Sure you do.”

  He stood, stuffed his thumbs in the waistband of his jeans. “Try me.”

  “What’s my favorite color.”

  “Black.”

  She made a buzzing sound and gave him a thumbs-down. “It’s red.”

  “But you always wear black.”

  She shrugged. “That’s life. What’s my favorite book?”

  “That’s not fair. No guy would know that.”

  “You just made my point.”

  “I bet you don’t know mine.”

  “You’re right, and that’s the kind of thing I will be expected to know, so spit it out. Start talking. Give me a mini bio, beginning with your first day of kindergarten. How did you feel going to school back then?”