Marsha rushed off and Caitlin followed her to help put the potluck dishes on the dining-room table. The pictures of the babies were passed around, and Matt made no attempt to curb his smile as he looked at each one. They ranged in age from four months to two years.
“What made you decide to go with us on this trip?” Bud asked Matt.
“A lamebrain attorney. Well, that was the reason when I arrived here tonight. But now? This whole thing is awesome, Bud. Families are being created, kids are going to be brought out of crowded orphanages into loving homes and…I want to be there when you see Grace for the first time and Caitlin holds Mackenzie or Madison, whichever name she decides on and… I’m honestly looking forward to going on this journey. I’m…I’m honored to be included.”
Bud nodded. “We’re glad you’re going to be with us, sharing it all.” He paused. “I am now going to chat—not gossip—chat with you. Caitlin works with Marsha at the fashion magazine. Marsha is the assistant editor, as you know, and Caitlin is a copywriter. A very talented one, as a matter of fact.
“The way Marsha tells it, Caitlin wanted to hear every detail of what we were discovering about adopting from China since Marsha is unable to have kids. The Chinese government allows single women to adopt and Caitlin decided it was the perfect answer for her as well.”
“Why?”
“That we don’t know.” Bud shrugged. “She just said that she hoped her approval came through at the same time as ours so we’d be traveling togetherto get our daughters. I believe a girlfriend of Caitlin’s is going with her to help out, like the agency suggested for single moms. The friend must have been busy tonight.”
“Interesting,” Matt said. “I mean, hey, Caitlin is a lovely young woman. Why isn’t she married and having a slew of kids herself? Why is she going the single-mom route?”
“Don’t have a clue,” Bud said. “I’m hungry.”
“Who’s hungry?” Marsha called from the doorway.
“I swear, my wife can read my mind, which is a scary thought at times.”
Matt managed to snag the chair next to Caitlin, and Marsha and Bud sat across from them. The pictures were placed carefully in front of plates around the table. The food was delicious, the conversation centered on babies and the eagerly anticipated journey to the other side of the world.
“Attention, attention,” Carolyn said as a three-layer chocolate cake was being served for dessert. “I’ll talk so I won’t be tempted to indulge in that chocolate delight. Question. Has there been any change in the number of people going along with you?”
“Yes,” Caitlin said. “My girlfriend who was to accompany me to help with the luggage and what have you broke her ankle while in-line skating with her son. My mother and stepfather live in Italy and my stepfather is ill, making it impossible for my mother to leave him right now. Other friends can’t get vacation time on such short notice. So, I’m on my own.”
“We’ll all help you, Caitlin,” Bud said. “In fact, we’re adding Matt to the list of who is going and he’ll be free to assist you with your luggage. Right, Matt?”
“Sure,” Matt said. “No problem.”
“All things should be so easily solved.” Carolyn laughed. “Okay, then, I have the final count so reservations will be made. You’ll be called just as soon as everything is arranged and we have a date of departure. It will be soon, I promise. Matt, is your passport current?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m ready to rock and roll.”
“Excellent.” Carolyn paused. “Finish your sinful dessert while I get the information packets I want to pass out to you.”
“I appreciate your willingness to help me with my luggage, Matt,” Caitlin said.
“It will be my pleasure,” he said, smiling at her. “I’ll just be hanging around tickling babies and taking in the sights.”
Caitlin frowned. “I guess I don’t quite understand why you’re going on this trip. Have you always wanted to travel to China and the opportunity presented itself?”
“Well, not exactly.”
“Before Matt says something that will make his nose grow,” Bud said, “I’m squealing on him. As his physician I ordered him to stay away from his job as public-relations director at Mercy Hospital for a month because he’s been working far too many hours for far too long. It was go to China with us, or be sent to his room for being a naughty boy.”
“Thank you, Dr. Mouth Mathis,” Matt said dryly.
“Well, it’s true,” Marsha said. “Work, work, work, that’s all you do, Matt. This trip is just what the doctor, my sweet patootie, ordered.”
“Whatever.” Matt chuckled. “I happen to like my job, you know.”
“More than anything else,” Marsha retorted. “But we gotcha good, MacAllister. You can’t drop by the hospital when you’re hiking around China.”
Caitlin laughed along with everyone else who had heard the conversation, but she sighed inwardly.
Oh, yes, she thought, the same old story. Here was another handsome and intelligent man who was pleasant to be with, but who was focused on his career above everything else. History seemed to repeat itself time and again for as long as she could remember. Men crossed her path who had priorities at opposite poles from hers. Well, hello and good-bye to Mr. Matt MacAllister of the MacAllisters of Ventura. So be it.
“Is something wrong, Caitlin?” Matt said. “You look so serious all of a sudden.”
“What? Oh. No. Nothing is wrong, Matt.” She smiled. “I was just doing a bit of reality check time.” She picked up the pictures of her daughter and gazed at them. “But I’m fine now. We’re going to be a terrific team, my daughter and I. Just the two of us.”
The woman on the other side of Caitlin spoke to her, causing her to turn away from Matt. He looked at her delicate fingers as they held the photographs of the baby Caitlin would name either Mackenzie or Madison.
We’re going to be a terrific team, my daughter and I. Just the two of us.
Caitlin’s words echoed in Matt’s mind and he frowned.
Why? he wondered. Why was an extremely attractive, intelligent, I-have-a-lot-to-offer woman like Caitlin Cunningham seemingly determined to be a single mother, making no room in her life for a husband for herself, a father for that adorable baby girl?
Had Caitlin been deeply hurt by a man in the past? Whoa. He didn’t like the idea of that, not one little bit.
Or…like Marsha, was Caitlin unable to have children and felt that no man would want to marry her because of that?
Or… Hell, he didn’t know.
She was an enigma, the lovely Ms. Cunningham, and for reasons he couldn’t begin to fathom he wanted to unravel the mysteries, the secrets, surrounding her, discover who she really
