Baby on the Way Read Free Page B

heading after the funeral?”
    “Yep, the sunny South Pacific.”
    “Must have been nice.”
    If her voice betrayed just a hint of envy at his ability to escape the mean existence of those dreadful months after Michael’s death, Jordan didn’t comment on it. He also never mentioned the reason he’d decided to leave so abruptly the day following the funeral. She’d never understood that, but she’d accepted it.
    “So how long have you been back?”
    “Actually—” he snorted in amusement “—I should be used to this weather. I’ve been back for a month. In the country, that is. I had a little business in New York first. I flew into Oakburn yesterday.”
    Caitlin pretended to study the curving riverbank. Only a few of the brilliant red and gold leaves still hung on the trees. Hikers and joggers walked through the crisp crackling carpet underfoot. And the carefully tended pathways bulged with outdoor enthusiasts taking advantage of the sunny fall weather.
    Her nose caught just a hint of wood smoke in the air as up ahead a family gathered around a fire pit A wiener roast in the park. She smiled at the memory that flickered across her mind.
    “How is Robyn?” Caitlin asked.
    Michael’s sister had announced her pregnancy just after Caitlin had decided she was in love with Michael. Everyone in the Andrews family had beenthrilled at the thought of a new baby. Caitlin knew they’d welcome Junior with open arms simply because this was Michael’s child. Maybe they’d even try to take him away from her. Then she’d really have no one.
    Caitlin shoved the ugly thought away with grim determination.
    Jordan frowned, obviously organizing his thoughts.
    “Robyn? Oh, you mean with the baby. She’s fine. I still can’t believe she called the kid Eudora. I called her Huey for a while. It seemed fitting—she was totally bald.”
    Jordan’s strong fingers jerked the wheel suddenly, twisting out of the path of an oncoming motorist in the wrong lane. There was no lull in his conversation which seemed remarkable.
    There wasn’t a lot that fazed Jordan. Apparently births outranked everything else. She grinned again, cherishing the greenish-tinged look she’d seen on his face.
    “I didn’t like the other option much. Anyway, I always remember Mrs. Hatchet calling people ‘dumb Doras’ when they didn’t catch on to her algebra lesson.”
    Caitlin grinned. Everyone who had been under the malevolent thumb of Agatha Hatchet had been called that at one time or another in their high school years.
    “Seems too bad to saddle a kid with that kind of negative self-image label from day one.” He shrugged helplessly.
    Caitlin smiled. If she remembered correctly, Jordanhimself had acquired a few rather interesting tags in high school.
    “There are worse things to be saddled with,” she murmured. “Wasn’t Jordan the man, who rolled the van, one of yours? And how about Heartthrob Andrews? ”
    “Well, if that isn’t the pot talking to the kettle!” Those glowing eyes glittered with good humor. “I seem to remember Cait the Great when it came to chemistry. And Dim Lyn in, let’s see, wasn’t it history and phys ed?” A smug little smile tilted his lips.
    “You tell me, Jordan Andrews…just how many of those seventeenth-century dates can you still remember?” She flushed at the old nickname, the familiar tide of indignation surging upward with the memories of those unhappy years.
    He held up a hand. “Truce.” He called out, grinning. “Let’s just admit that neither one of us has done too badly. Especially you.” He whistled at the metal name tag she’d forgotten to remove from the tip of her collar. “Doing some teaching now, huh? Do I call you Professor Lyn?”
    Caitlin lifted her chin. She ignored the question and the reference to her newly acquired job. That had been her dream, hers and Michael’s. While she’d dreamed of completing her doctoral studies as a nutrition and dietetic counselor, he had finally