Cranberry Point (Cedar Cove #4)(58)

Thank you.

Joseph Bowman

P.S. Marion and I did visit the restaurant you mentioned and were impressed by Jon's work. I never realized how gifted my son is. Again I have you to thank for that discovery.

Maryellen read the letter a second time. Jon's father was asking the impossible of her. Her husband was adamant that he wanted nothing to do with his parents. As far as he was concerned, they were no longer part of his life.

As she drove home with Katie at the end of the day, Maryellen was still thinking about what his parents had asked her to do. Although she knew how Jon felt about his family, she'd gone behind his back. In fact, she'd done so against his express wishes. She hated that she'd started her marriage with an act of deception. If Jon ever learned she'd contacted his parents and mailed them photos of Katie, he might never forgive her. She'd taken a terrible risk already and now they were asking her to take another—a risk that was potentially even more disastrous. Maryellen longed to help, but she was afraid of what that would do to her marriage.

When she pulled into the yard, Jon walked out to the car to meet her and Katie. He smiled as he opened the back passenger door and released their daughter from her baby seat. Eager to escape the confines of the restrictive carrier, Katie gleefully flung out her arms and cooed at her father.

"Hi, honey," he said, kissing Maryellen briefly.

"Hi."

Despite her efforts to appear normal, her voice must have betrayed her, because Jon looked back over his shoulder. "Something wrong?"

Maryellen smiled at her husband and shook her head. He continued into the house, carrying Katie, while she followed with the diaper bag. In that instant she knew she couldn't jeopardize their secure world. They were happy. She couldn't afford to compromise their happiness, not Jon's or Katie's— or her own.

They ate on the deck that evening. Jon had poached halibut in wine and lemon, and topped it with a fresh tomato-and-basil salsa. The advantages of having a husband who was a marvelous chef were too numerous to count.

"All right," Jon said, leaning against the wooden slats of his deck chair. "That does it."

"What?" His determined words startled her.

"Turn in your two-week notice."

"Jon..."

"You clearly want to be at home."

"Jon, I can't, not yet." While it was true she wanted to be home with Katie and begin working as Jon's manager, she couldn't leave the gallery in the lurch. The owners had always been wonderful to her; not only that, she couldn't abandon Lois during the busiest time of the year.

"You're miserable," Jon said. Holding his wineglass, he frowned at her, and Maryellen tried to reassure him with a warm, loving smile.

"We were jammed this afternoon," she said, "and I hardly had a moment to myself, but that's how this business goes. Anyway, Lois isn't ready to assume management responsibilities yet. She's learning, though."

"You aren't getting enough sleep."

"Would you stop trying to fix everything?" Although she meant to use a teasing tone, the remark came out sounding sharp and impatient.

Jon frowned more heavily. "That's what I thought a husband did."

"I'm sorry...." Maryellen didn't dare mention the reason for her mood. Standing, she collected the dirty dishes. "I guess I'm just out of sorts."

Jon brightened suddenly. "Could that mean what I think it means?"

Maryellen shook her head. She certainly hadn't had any problem getting pregnant with Katie and although they weren't using birth control, she wasn't pregnant with their second child yet.

Jon took her news with a light shrug. "I guess we'll just have to try harder. I want to experience this next pregnancy from the beginning."

Maryellen was heartened by the prospect. "That sounds good to me."

While Jon dealt with bills and paperwork downstairs, Maryellen bathed Katie and gently rocked her to sleep. She brushed the soft curls from her daughter's forehead, holding her securely as Katie sucked energetically at her bottle. Maryellen had gradually stopped breastfeeding the month before and now gave Katie a bottle early in the morning and at bedtime.

Maryellen glanced around the nursery, which always brought her a fresh surge of pleasure. Jon had drawn and painted a series of wild animals along the walls, creating for each a background that reflected its natural habitat.

Jon's parents would never see this. Maryellen closed her eyes, discouraged by the hopelessness of the situation.

"The object is to put Katie to sleep, not you," Jon whispered.

She opened her eyes to see him standing in the doorway, arms crossed. He wasn't a handsome man by conventional standards, but the sight of him stirred her emotions and her senses.

"It's been a long day," she said.

"Then take a hot bath, relax, go to bed," Jon advised.

"I've got the dishes."

"I already took care of that."

"But Jon..." she protested. Their agreement was that when he cooked, she'd do the cleanup afterward. "You spoil me."

He grinned at that. "I want to spoil you. I love you, Maryellen. You and Katie are my family. You're everything to me."

Instead of bringing joy, his words fell on her like stones. It was her own fault, her own guilt; she'd interfered where she had no right to and cruelly raised his parents' hopes.