How Cat Got a Life by Tatiana March Read Free Book Online Page B

quite steady. Disappointment and shame lurked beneath the surface, but her impeccable manners and willpower helped her to present a calm front.
    “A distraction even to a married woman with a newborn baby?” she asked.
    “Being married doesn’t make me blind. I can still admire, in a platonic way.”
    In the past four years, Cat had told herself that she had no friends because she’d been too busy with responsibilities, too worn out from looking after others, but the truth was that she didn’t trust people easily and tended to pull back from overtures of friendship. Now it crossed her mind that the small kernel of affection between her and Karen could grow if nurtured.
    “Karen,” she said. “I’d like to keep in touch. I expect to come down again at the end of term. Perhaps we could get together for lunch. Not here, but somewhere in town. I’d like to take you out to thank you for all your help this week.”
    “That would be nice.” Karen lowered her sandwich and fiddled with the wrapper. “Brock’s a good man, you know. He’s had a difficult time, and he wears the scars. Don’t write him off just yet. Give him a chance.”
    A denial of any interest in him hovered on her tongue. Cat drew a deep breath. If she wanted to have friends, she needed to learn to open up.
    “I’ve had my own difficulties.” She told Karen about Tim and her marriage.
    “He was impotent? So, if you don’t mind me asking, how long ago…?”
    “It’s more than four years since I slept with a man.” Cat’s lips twisted in a rueful smile. “So, you can see that Brock’s not the only one around here with baggage to ditch.”
    Karen shook her head in disbelief. Then her eyes sparkled. “Hey, why don’t you apply for the opening we have for a secretary? You said you need a job. It would sure liven up things here, you and Brock working together.
    Cat scrunched up her sandwich wrapper and dropped it in the trash. “I’m not going to become your personal reality dating show, thank you very much.”
    But when she packed her briefcase and drove back to the Hillside Inn, she had to admit Karen’s idea held certain crazy merit.
    ****
    “Kitty. Kitty.” The little girl in pigtails tossed the beach ball along the lawn.
    Cat laughed. “No. Cat . My name is Cat, not Kitty.”
    “Kitty.”
    “All right then.” She collected the ball and tossed it back to the girl.
    The clear sky had chased away the autumn cool and her skin felt tender after two hours in the sunshine. From the corner of her eye, she kept an eye on Dalton and the pretty brunette organizing a volley ball game for the older kids.
    Instinct told her that Marybeth was like Sandra and would expect a wedding ring in exchange for her virginity. Cat made a mental note to discuss the topic with Dalton, make sure the boy understood the way of things.
    A sense of parental responsibility had brought her out to the children’s home, even at the risk that Dalton might think she was smothering him. After meeting the high school student who was the object of his interest, Cat had carefully kept away from the pair, loitering in the garden, trying to form an idea of how serious Dalton was, so she could find the right tone when she talked to him about the girl.
    Reluctant to return to the hotel and face the sense of failure and rejection that had filled the sleepless night, Cat had accepted the invitation to play with some of the younger children.
    “Sheri. Sheri.”
    Tammy, the little girl, ignored the bouncing ball and tore down the gravel path with wobbly legs.
    Oh no.
    Cat glanced around for a means of escape, but a high hedge surrounded the yard from three sides. Along the only possible exit route, Brock Leonetti scooped the little girl in his arms and walked over. The faded jeans clung to his narrow hips. He’d rolled up the sleeves of the casual white shirt, exposing corded forearms, and as he came to a halt, Tammy gripped his collar, popping open enough buttons to reveal an