Welcome To My Family

“Thanks, I think.” Kat chuckled.

Suddenly there was a rattle at the back door. Poseidon raced to the screened porch and started barking.

“What the devil?” A man’s deep voice came through the screen. “Maureen, where did this mongrel come from?” Timothy O’Halloran’s voice was loud enough to shake the rafters.

Kat ran to the door and threw herself into his arms. He smelled faintly of cigar smoke, Irish whiskey and rain, which brought her comforting memories. Kat smiled through a shimmer of tears. “He’s not a mongrel. And he’s mine, Pop. Didn’t you see my rig parked out front?”

“Kathleen!” he said with a lilt as he pried her arms loose, stepped back and stared. Eyes misting, he stammered, “How? Wh-when? I came up the back road. Lordy, girl, are you a sight for tired eyes.” He caught her close in a bone-crushing hug. “Maureen,” he bellowed, “this calls for a celebration. How long are you going to be home, kitten?” Releasing her, he held her at arm’s length, obviously impatient for an answer.

“You, may not be so excited when you hear this, Pop. I’m home lock, stock and barrel. In fact, I’m starting a new job on Monday.”

“Nobody tells me anything,” he accused, glaring at his slender wife.

“If you’d spend more time at home, Timothy O’Halloran, you might pick up some of the news.”

Although it was typical of the heated discussions Kat had grown accustomed to when she lived at home, she didn’t want her parents arguing on her first night back. “It’s my fault, Pop. I wanted to surprise you.”

His gaze softened. “Just tonight I was telling the boys I’d like to check out that great fishing you always bragged about up in the San Juans.”

“Really?” Kat wrinkled her nose. “First urge in three years? I distinctly remember begging you and Mama to come after you retired. I could go back, I suppose.”

He looked chagrined. “You’ve been on my mind a lot lately, girl. I’m the only one in my group with a daughter. The guys don’t understand when I tell them a son is a son till he takes a wife, but a daughter’s a daughter the rest of her life.” He shook his shaggy head and a thick strand of still-dark hair fell over his brow. “I’ll always worry about you, kitten.”

“Sentimental, Pop? Not you—Mr. Logic, himself,” she teased, falling into a brogue the way he did when he got excited. “So tell me about this group. Is fishing what you guys do?” She looped an arm through his and led him to the table, shooting her mother a sly wink. Maybe she could clear things up tonight.

“You don’t want to hear about the antics of a few hasbeens, girl. Tell me about this new job. Has Josh finally badgered you into joining the secretarial pool at Motorhill?”

“Pop…the job’s in my field. I’m not sure you’ll approve, though. Flintridge Motors opened up a spot for a recreational specialist. Well, you’re, uh, looking at her.”

“Flintridge, huh? I used to think that crew was phony baloney—until I met Louie. He’s retired from there. Worked for ’em all his life, same as I did Motorhill.” Timothy suddenly beamed. “Say, Louie’s son still works there. Tell you what, kitten…Sunday, when we go to the track, I’ll ask Louie if he’ll have the lad show you around.”

Kat felt a wave of apprehension. “I don’t know. What does he do there?”

“I don’t know that Louie’s ever said.”

Kat reached down absently and stroked Poseidon’s soft coat. She wasn’t interested in getting entangled with a man, especially not anyone from the Ridge, so she didn’t want to encourage her father along those lines. “I hate to cut this homecoming short, but I’m really bushed. Will you help me unload tomorrow, Pop? You’ll never believe how much stuff I’ve accumulated in three years.”

He stood and shifted his weight to one hip and placed an arm around his wife. “That’s why your mother and I never moved. I’m a packrat and she hasn’t the heart to throw anything out. We always said we were just going to will this mess to all of you kids.” The two exchanged soft smiles.

Kat’s heart swelled. This was the father she remembered. Handsome, charming, loving. Maybe he was missing his old routines. In time, he’d create new ones, she thought. New routines and new satisfactions.

“You two linger awhile and drink your coffee,” she said brightly. “I’m going to bed. And as far as the house goes, you can leave me out of the will. I love this place, but I want to live near the water. Wait’ll you see my new double kayaks, Pop. You’ll be begging me for lessons.”

“And where did you learn to kayak if not on our river, young lady?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kat kissed them each and left them, their arms linked, hands entwined. Not altogether happy at being disturbed again, Poseidon padded obediently after her. He objected to being forced out into the rain, however briefly. Yet once they were upstairs, he claimed a spot on the braided rug beside her bed and the next thing Kat knew, he was snoring.

If she’d counted on her childhood bed to bring instant sleep, she was sadly mistaken. She lay awake staring at the gold and silver glitter she’d talked Pop into spraying on the ceiling when he remodeled her room for her twelfth birthday. Kat remembered crying buckets until he’d promised to add the sparkles. Now it was horribly outdated. Time, she thought, did indeed bring change.

Like her going to work for Flintridge. If anyone had ever suggested she’d take a job with Motorhill’s rival one day, she would’ve vehemently denied it. Frankly, she still wasn’t sure about doing this. After the initial interview, she’d been excited to find a local company eager to use her degree and her skills. Mary hadn’t made it sound so great, though. At least not as far as the company’s CEO went. Apparently the rank and file would welcome her.

That thought made Kat feel better. It’d probably be months before a busy CEO found time to meet her. By then, she’d be able to impress him with a fully operating program.

Yawning, she closed her eyes and muttered, “Plenty of time.”

Meanwhile, maybe she’d bump into the sexy test jockey she’d met earlier. Her pulse skipped a bit before it steadied. Why she’d want to meet His Surliness again was beyond her. Sitting up, Kat thumped her pillow into shape. Speaking of men…She really wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of Louie Kowalski’s son tracking her down. But suppose he did? There was nothing to say she had to welcome him to the family or anything.

Kat whacked her pillow again. Relieved to have a few things decided, she snuggled into freshly laundered linens that smelled of security and home.

CHAPTER TWO

THE WEEKEND FLEW BY so fast, Kat wasn’t certain there’d been one when her alarm sounded Monday morning. Groaning, she rolled over, grabbed for it, but knocked the clock to the floor. Poseidon bounded across the room and dragged it, still buzzing, out of her reach. “Now you’ve done it, dog.” Kat crawled slowly out from under the covers. Her body ached from the physical labor of unloading her belongings.

After she’d retrieved and silenced the alarm, she warmed up for the air force exercises she’d done religiously since junior high. Back then she’d had a terrible crush on Ryan Kelley, who’d declared himself academy-bound. As it turned out, he’d become a podiatrist and married a gourmet cook. Last time Kat saw him, Ryan was overweight. Yet she owed him for making exercise and good health her life’s passion.

The routine didn’t take long. Soon she’d showered and dressed for her first day on the new job.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Just Kat, her mother and Poseidon. Pop hadn’t come in from the races until after 2:00 a.m., Kat knew. But because her stomach was in such a turmoil with first-day jitters, she purposely didn’t mention that to her mother.

Leaving an unhappy dog behind, Kat drove the route she’d mapped out. Worried about losing her vehicle in the mammoth parking lot, she checked coordinates, then smoothed her suit skirt before falling in with a throng heading through the main gate. Ordinarily she wouldn’t wear a skirt to work, but yesterday all three sisters-in-law had badgered her. Seeing the women here dressed in what she’d term church dress, Kat was glad she’d taken Shannon, Mary and Erin’s advice.

Outside the personnel office, Kat hauled in a deep breath. A lone occupant in the room glanced up, then away as she entered. Kat figured it was just as well she hadn’t expected the red-carpet treatment. She approached the woman with her best smile. “I’m Kathleen O’Halloran reporting for work as the new recreation specialist.”

The woman’s smoothly penciled eyebrows shot up. “I expected a person with your athletic background to be more…robust.” The cool gaze flicked over Kat again as the woman walked toward her. “I’m Wendolyn Nelson, director of Personnel.”

Kat made her own survey of the statuesque blonde, who wore cascades of gold chains as if they’d been minted for her. The gleaming chains draped an expensive green silk dress that matched the cold eyes. Kat thought the woman resembled a fishpond and she felt disappointed by Ms. Nelson’s cold demeanor. During the phone interview, she’d sounded nice. “Athletics is a matter of muscle tone,” Kat murmured. “I assure you, I’m much stronger than I look.”

“Yes. Well, we may never know the full extent of your prowess. The position may be only temporary.”

“But…your advertisement said the job was permanent.”

The director seemed faintly disconcerted. “Maybe you’d rather not take the job? Our CEO sees no need to mix recreation with work, and frankly, I agree.”

“Well, perhaps I’ll have to change his mind,” Kat said, with a smile she hoped conveyed the message that she didn’t care what this woman thought.

“I sincerely doubt that, Ms. O’Halloran.” The blonde pursed her lips. “Anyhow, at the moment you have paperwork to complete. From then, until he decides the program’s fate, you’ll report directly to our CEO.”

Kat gave a low whistle.

“I know it’s irregular.” Ms. Nelson might have said more, but the door opened then and several women trooped in, chatting and laughing until they glanced up and saw the director eying them in a faintly disapproving fashion. They quickly melted into the seats at various workstations.

“Late again, ladies?” Ms. Nelson made a production of checking her watch. “This gives new employees a bad impression of Flintridge. Lucy…” She singled out a thin brunette. “Start Ms. O’Halloran on these forms.” She tossed out a folder, marched into an inner office and slammed the door.

Although Kat was sure she wasn’t intended to see the look shared by the four secretaries, it was hard to miss. She wondered if anyone had ever quit Flintridge on the first day. Technically, before the first day. The notion surfaced again before Kat had completed the endless forms. She was favorably impressed by the company’s generous insurance benefits and profit-sharing package.

The video she’d been required to see was wasted time. Except that it gave her a rough idea why the workers here needed a recreational program. As in most industrial-line jobs, the work was repetitious and boring. Otherwise, Flintridge appeared to run a tight ship. Watching the company video, she observed little or no camaraderie among the workers as they assembled the big luxury cars.

“I’m finished, Lucy,” Kat said when the brunette poked her head back into the room. Checking her watch, Kat was surprised to see the orientation had taken more than three hours.