CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE. Carly picked Pat up at one on Sunday afternoon

Carly picked Pat up at one on Sunday afternoon. She had on white shorts and a dark blue blouse that made her eyes even bluer, if possible. Her dark hair hung loose around her face, her bangs brushing her eyebrows and she looked absolutely gorgeous. Yes, her family would be full of questions.

" So, all lawyers, huh? This should be fun, " Pat said.

" They're very nice. I promise you won't be subjected to a deposition."

" No. But you may be."

Carly laughed. " Yes, you're probably right. I've never brought a...friend with me before."

" Well, I promise I'll behave. Now, fill me in on everyone so I won't be completely lost."

" My oldest brother is Mark. His wife is Suzanne and they have three children. Robert is the oldest. We call him Bobby because my father's name is Robert. Haley is ten and Michael is eight. Carl is my other brother. He's married to Kim and they have two kids, both girls. Brittany is six today. And then Katie, she's two. She's an absolute angel and I adore her."

" And your mother? "

" Katherine. Everyone calls her Kathy."

Pat nodded. It would certainly be different than anything she was used to. Her own upbringing had been so formal. She never recalled a backyard birthday party.

" Are you nervous? " Carly asked.

" Past that. Terrified is more like it."

Carly laughed. " Somehow I doubt there is anything that could terrify you, Pat."

" You terrify me."

Carly glanced quickly at her then away. The softly spoken words echoed in the Jeep and Carly reached over and squeezed one of Pat's hands.

" I don't mean to terrify you. I'm just trying to survive here."

Pat opened her hand and entwined their fingers, feeling the gentle pressure that Carly returned.

" Yes, I know. Maybe that's what terrifies me. One of us may not survive."

Carly relaxed, allowing Pat to hold her hand. It felt nice. Occasionally, Pat's thumb would caress her skin, then stop, as if Pat just then realized what she was doing.

When they crossed the bridge into Corpus, Carly turned down Bayside Drive, past the monster homes that lined the bay. Her parent's home was no different.

" Damn, " Pat murmured.

" Yes, I know."

" You grew up here? "

" No. They've only been here about five years. Our home was a little more modest than this. But please don't judge them by this house, " Carly said. " They are really down-to-earth. But when my grandfather died, they could afford this. Putting three kids through law school and med school wasn't cheap, " she said, feeling the need to defend her family.

" Hey, Donald Ryan, remember. I know what pretentious means. And I wasn't for one minute judging you or your family."

" I'm sorry. This is just a bit much, I know. It's so different from where we grew up. All the homes here just scream the word ‘snob'. But they are really very nice."

" Now who's nervous? " Pat asked.

They parked on the circle drive behind a Lexus and a Mercedes. Carly's black Jeep looked totally out of place. She wondered if Carly ever regretted her decision not to follow the rest of the family into law school. No, she doubted that thought ever crossed her mind. Carly loved her job with a passion few could match. And she could not picture Carly dressed in a business suit, sitting behind a desk in a stuffy office. Carly was totally at home trudging through the marshes, trying to save what she loved.

" What are you thinking about? " Carly asked as they walked to the front door.

" I was trying to picture you in a business suit in a lawyer's office, " Pat admitted.

" And? "

" And in my mind, you were wearing shorts and your hair was windblown and the sun was shining on your face and you were absolutely beautiful."

Their eyes met and Carly smiled warmly at Pat. Beautiful, huh? No, beautiful was this woman standing next to her.

" Thank you, " Carly whispered. Her eyes dropped for a brief second to Pat's lips. She turned away before she did something really stupid. Like kiss her.

The outside of the home looked much like Pat's parents house. Once inside, however, the difference was enormous. This was definitely a home. Family pictures were everywhere and there was a warmth that had always been missing in Pat's home. Love. That was the difference.

They followed the laughter out to the patio where the extended deck held six adults and an assortment of children.

" Come on. They're very friendly, I promise."

" Aunt Carly! About time."

A blonde headed girl raced up and threw herself at Carly. It could have been her own daughter, Pat thought.

" Happy birthday, Brittany."

" Where's my present? "

" What makes you think I got you a present? " Carly teased.

" Because it's my birthday and you're supposed to bring presents. That's what mommy said."

" Oh. Well, I did. It's inside with the others."

" Good. Who's this? " she asked, pointing at Pat.

" This is my friend, Pat."

" Hi Brittany, " Pat said.

Carly laughed at Pat's nervousness. She doubted the woman was ever around children.

" Come on. Let me introduce you."

Pat nodded, then reached for Carly's arm.

" Please don't leave me alone, " she whispered.

" Not for a second. I promise."

Introductions were made and Pat finally relaxed when Carly shoved her into a lawn chair. The oldest boy, Bobby, offered her a glass of iced tea and before she knew what was happening, a small child was climbing into her lap.

" What the hell? " she murmured.

Carly laughed and took Katie into her own lap.

" She's never met a stranger, " Carly explained. " How's my angel? "

Pat smiled as she watched the child snuggle against Carly. She looked up and found Katherine's eyes on her. She smiled at Carly's mother, then looked away. She wondered what they must all think.

" How's the ranch going, Carly? "

" Good, Mark. The ranch house is completely finished, finally. We started digging the marshes out this week. That will take the rest of the summer. I got your check, by the way. That was very generous. Thank you."

" I know how important this is to you. I've been shamelessly soliciting donations for you, too. Send some of your brochures over to the office. Clients are always looking for a tax write-off."

" I don't care what their reason is, " Carly laughed. " I'll take it."

" I just now made the connection with your name, " Mark said to Pat.

Pat cringed. She didn't want to talk about her father. But that wasn't the connection he was talking about.

" I have one of your prints in my office. Whooping Crane at sunrise. I love them. I hope they find the ranch eventually. I would love to see one close up."

" They are beautiful. I know the print you're talking about. That's the closest I've ever been to one. I had to practically bribe the rangers at Aransas to let me out into the marshes."

" Do you ever go out on the tour boats? "

" I've been a few times, but you can't really get close enough, not for a good photo, anyway."

" Pat just enjoys the company of the other birders, don't you? " Carly teased.

" Other birders? You know as well as I do that title does not apply to me."

" You're not a birder? " Mark asked.

Pat rolled her eyes and Carly laughed.

" Yes, she is. Her identification skills are just a little lacking, " Carly said.

Pat glared at her, which only caused Carly to laugh more.

" That doesn't work on me and you know it."

" I'm not a birder, " Pat hissed.

" Careful. You don't want to offend Mark."

Mark looked confused at the banter between the two women and Carly took pity on him.

" Pat's afraid she'll end up like Mrs. Davenport, all dressed up in her birding outfit, hat and all. So, she refuses to be labeled as a birder."

Pat smiled sweetly at Carly, but murmured, " You'll pay for this."

" Can't wait."

They both forgot about Mark. Green eyes locked on blue and Carly felt her heart pound against her chest at all those blue eyes promised.

Later, when the hamburgers were ready, they all stood around the picnic table, fixing their own. Carly's mother pulled her aside, motioning with her head to Pat.

" Where did you find her? She's gorgeous."

Carly smiled. " We're not seeing each other. We're just friends. Besides, I didn't find her. She's working with me."

" Sure."

" Sure, what? Really. We're not, " Carly insisted.

But her mother only smiled at her and nodded. " That's nice. Keep telling yourself that."

" What do you mean? "

" I think she needs rescuing, " her mother said. " Katie seems to like her, too."

Katie was perched on Pat's lap, reaching for her hamburger. Pat held it out of her reach, then Katie grabbed a fistful of dark hair. Carly covered the smile on her face and walked over.

" I see you've been captured, " she said to Pat.

" Yes, this little monster has about six arms."

Their eyes met and Carly thought Pat looked adorable with her hair in disarray and one sticky hand still wrapped around a fistful.

" Let me save you, sweetheart."

Pat nearly dropped her plate.

" Thank you. I thought you'd never ask."

" I was talking to my niece."

Carly snatched the child out of Pat's lap, then gave Pat a slight wink.

" You'll pay for that, too, " Pat told her.

" I don't doubt that I will. Isn't that right, sweetheart? " she cooed to Katie.

Pat's eyes never moved far from Carly, even when her father came over to make conversation. Pat wondered what they all thought of her, what Carly had told them. They were all pleasant enough, friendly actually. And her mother showed particular interest in her. In fact, she enjoyed their company. Whereas Mark was serious, Carly's brother Carl was the jokester. The kids seemed to flock to him and Pat noticed that Carly's personality was a combination of both her brothers. One minute serious, the next teasing.

She had a sudden feeling of loss. She looked around her, seeing all the happy faces, the love, and she deeply regretted her own lack of family. They had never been this close, even when her mother pretended that they were.

Carly noticed the frown, the pensive look on Pat's face. She went to her immediately

" Hey, how are you holding up? "

" I'm good, " Pat said.

Carly didn't believe her but she didn't press. Instead, she sat down next to her.

" We should probably get going, " Carly said. " There's a couple of board members coming out to the ranch tomorrow."

" Board members? " Pat asked.

" From Habitats For Nature, " Carly explained. " They want to take a look at the construction."

" So, you have bosses, too, " Pat said.

" Yes. Habitats For Nature has several projects going on right now. They get generic donations but each project solicits their own to be earmarked directly. The success of the ranch depends on how well I market it."

" So they'll be looking at the construction as well as your bank account? " Pat guessed.

" Yes. And it's pretty thin right now. But once we get the brochures out we should be fine. And then of course, with the local contributions I hope to get, that should put us in the black."

" When will the brochures go out? "

" They'll be ready next week. I hope, " Carly added. " So, are you ready to call it a day? "

" Whenever you are, " Pat said. She glanced around, looking at the happy family and she felt the depression settle more firmly around her. She had no place here.

The trip back was made almost in silence. Carly made several attempts at conversation but Pat's comments were minimal. She finally gave up.

" Are you okay? " Carly asked when she pulled up behind Pat's Jeep.

" Yes, fine, " Pat said. " I really enjoyed meeting your family. They all seem very nice."

" They are. I'm glad you went with me."

Pat got out and slammed the door, looking in from the passenger's side at Carly.

" Me, too. Drive carefully. I'll be out sometime this week."

Carly caught her eyes for only a moment before Pat looked away. She couldn't understand what could be wrong.

" Okay. See you later, " she said. She watched Pat walk up the stairs before backing away.

As she sat on the ferry, Carly tried to think of what could be wrong with Pat. Did someone say something to her? Had her mother cornered her? Surely Pat would have said something. But the look in her eyes was almost haunted, painful. And it bothered Carly all the way to the ranch.