The Family Plan (The McClouds of Mississippi 1)

then she sat for several long moments gazing after him and remembering the way he had winked at her when he’d entered. Not to mention the shivery little feeling that wink had caused to ripple through her. And then she frowned, shook her head and reprimanded herself for letting thoughts of Nathan interfere with her concentration. Again.

Caitlin had made one good friend outside of work since she’d moved to Honesty nine months ago. A neighbor in her apartment complex, Lindsey Newman was a sales representative for a local manufacturer, and she traveled quite a bit. She and Caitlin tried to get together when Lindsey was in town. There weren’t that many single women their age in Honesty, and Caitlin enjoyed spending time with Lindsey.

They met early Monday evening at their favorite restaurant. Without stopping to change, Caitlin drove there straight from the office. Her dark-red hair gleaming in the indirect lighting of the popular, but low-key restaurant, Lindsey greeted Caitlin with a broad smile that pushed shallow dimples into her fair cheeks. “Hey, stranger.”

Setting her purse on the floor beside her chair, Caitlin returned the smile warmly. “It has been a while since we’ve managed to get together, hasn’t it? To be honest, this is the first night in ages that I’ve had a chance to just relax a bit—even though I have a huge pile of paperwork to go through when I get home.”

“I still say you’re a hopeless workaholic.”

“Says the woman who just spent nearly a month on the road selling fishing lures to every little sporting goods store between here and Austin.”

Lindsey chuckled. “What can I say? Apparently fishing is the hottest hobby going right now. Retailers are practically lining up for FlashPopper Lures, and I need to be there to fill the demand if I’m going to bank enough commission money to take that European vacation I’ve always wanted to take.”

“So who’s the workaholic?”

“Ah.” Lindsey held up a finger. “But the difference is that I’m working with the specific goal of taking a long, leisurely vacation. You, on the other hand, are working for the express purpose of attracting more work.”

“When I figure out what you just said, I’m sure I’ll have a snappy comeback.” Caitlin ordered a glass of white wine and a shrimp cocktail from their flirtatious young waiter, then waited while Lindsey selected wine and shrimp toast for her appetizer. “How was your trip?” she asked when they were free to chat again.

Lindsey wrinkled her nose. “Let’s just say there aren’t a lot of hot spots in places like Bald Knob, Arkansas—although I did find a very nice Cajun restaurant there.”

They talked a few more minutes about the off-the-beaten-path places where Lindsey marketed her wares, and then their appetizers arrived. Caitlin had just dipped a fat shrimp into the spicy sauce when Lindsey asked, “So what’s this I hear about your sexy partner adopting a little girl?”

Caitlin dropped the shrimp. Fortunately, it landed on the dish rather than on her lap. She recovered it carefully. “Where on earth did you hear that? You’ve only been back in town since last night.”

“Are you kidding? Everyone’s talking about it. I went to the health club for a workout this afternoon, and two of the aerobics instructors were talking about him at the juice bar. One of them used to date him, apparently. Or wanted to date him, I’m not sure which. Anyway, word has gotten out that he’s adopted a little girl. Some people think she’s his illegitimate daughter. Most believe she’s the child his father had with that campaign worker a few years ago.”

“That’s the correct version. She’s his half sister, Isabelle. He hasn’t adopted her yet, but he is her legal guardian now.”

“I know Stuart McCloud and his wife died in that terrible accident earlier this year, but I thought the mother’s family had taken in the child.”

“Her maternal great-aunt took her, but she’s gravely ill now and can’t take care of Isabelle anymore. There wasn’t anyone else to take her. It was either Nathan or the state of California.”

“Poor little girl. She’s had a tough time of it, hasn’t she?”

“Very. She’s young enough that she doesn’t entirely understand all of it, of course, but it has still been difficult for her.”

“How’s Nathan’s family taking it? The word through the grapevine is that his mother freaked out.”

Caitlin grimaced as she flashed back to that uncomfortable conversation with Nathan’s mother. “She isn’t exactly pleased with him.”

“I bet. I remember very clearly what it was like around here when that scandal broke. It was a media circus, and poor Mrs. McCloud was humiliated.”

“I heard all about the debacle, of course. I had actually planned to vote for Stuart McCloud for governor.”

“You and another 52 percent of the voters polled before the affair with the young campaign worker and the resulting pregnancy hit the news. He probably would have been elected.”

“Very likely.” Caitlin ate another shrimp, savoring the taste even as she concentrated on the conversation.

“So…?” Lindsey prompted.

“So what?”

“So how’s Nathan working out as a daddy?”

Caitlin’s neck muscles tightened. “He’s a very good big brother.”

“It’s certainly going to change his social life. The aerobics instructor has completely lost interest in dating him, even though she thinks it’s sort of sexy that he’s raising a little girl. But she admits to being the high-maintenance type who wouldn’t want to share his attention. And, anyway, she doesn’t do runny noses.”