Kate had been content to lie there for a few more minutes with her eyes closed, snuggling with Maddy, but the little giggler had other plans. “Pancakes, please.”

  Kate laughed. “Oh, so you want pancakes?” she asked. Maddy was nodding her head enthusiastically. “Do you want to put some chocolate chips in then?” Maddy started to clap and yelled, “Yes!”

  “Okay, then. Let’s go make some,” Kate replied as she got up and headed down the steps with Maddy.

  By the time the pancakes had been made, Zach stumbled downstairs, sleepily rubbing his eyes. “I smelled something good,” he mumbled. “Are those chocolate chip pancakes?” he asked with building excitement.

  “Of course,” Kate said as she handed him a plate.

  When they were just about finished eating, Alex came down to join them. “We saved you some pancakes,” Kate told her.

  “No, thanks,” she replied. “I don’t want anything.”

  “Are you sure? They’re already made,” Kate prodded.

  “I said I didn’t want any,” Alex said with a little bit too much force. Before Kate could say anything, Zach jumped in. “Lex, what’s up with you?”

  “Nothing,” she answered, and then looked at Kate. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. If you don’t like pancakes, I can see what else we have,” Kate started, but Alex cut her off and said, “I don’t want anything. I’m going upstairs to change.”

  Kate watched her leave the room and sighed. Alex was going to be harder than she thought. Zach took that minute to answer Kate’s silent thoughts. “Mom used to make chocolate chip pancakes for us. They’re our favorite. She used to make faces on the pancakes with extra chips.”

  That explained a lot, Kate thought to herself. “Maybe next time we can add some extra chips and make our own faces.”

  ~*~*~

  After breakfast was cleaned up, everyone went to get dressed and ready to go. They arrived at the mall just as it was opening. Two hours later, they each had numerous bags from several of the stores. Maddy even had a new stroller that she was lounging in as they walked to their last store to look at athletic shoes.

  Kate walked through the sneaker displays with the three kids and laughed as Maddy pointed to bright pink ones for Zach. Movement caught Kate’s eye outside the store.

  She looked up and was shocked to see her hot guy from the other night. He looked just as good as he had at The Deck, with a blue T-shirt on that brought out his brilliant eyes. He was simply looking into the store. Kate secretly hoped he would come in to look around so she could say hello. At that point, several people entered the store, passing between them, and she lost sight of him. When the people moved away, he was gone again.

  Kate sighed. He had disappeared, again. She gave herself a mental shake. What am I thinking about? I have too much going on to worry about guys right now.

  Even though she had decided that it was not a good time for guys, she couldn’t keep herself from looking around for him as they walked through the mall toward their car.

  ~*~*~

  They spent the afternoon in the backyard enjoying the nice summer weather. The pool was a great distraction for them. Zach and Alex met the neighbors’ kids, Eric and Emily, who were only a year older. All four of them spent most of the time in the pool having fun.

  Kate put Maddy down for a nap and settled into a comfortable chair on the porch with her book. She was slightly hidden from the pool, but could still keep an eye on things. She wanted to give them some privacy, but not too much.

  At a good part in her book, her phone rang and she looked down at the number. “Hey, Cindy,” Kate began.

  “Where have you been?” Cindy demanded. “I called you twice last night, and you didn’t call me back. I wanted to talk about our plans for Saturday night.”

  “What plans?” Kate asked.

  “Oh no! You’re not backing out now. You said that I could fix you up with one of Mike’s friends, and that’s what we’re doing. I have it all arranged. We’re all going out Saturday.” Cindy rushed on. “You need to dress nice. I think you’re going to like Greg. He’s cute, about five ten, and has blonde hair. He’s in marketing for one of the stadiums in Philly, so he can get us into just about any event we want.”

  “Cin, slow down. You didn’t talk to me before you made these plans. I had only mentioned that I might be interested in dating, not that I wanted you to jump right in and set something up.”

  “Well, if I did talk to you first, you would have just come up with a reason not to do it, so I went ahead and made plans. One date is not going to kill you,” she replied.

  “You’re going to have to cancel them. I’m not going to be able to make it,” Kate told her.

  “Oh, come on. I’m not going to cancel. You’re coming.” Cindy was just not going to give up.

  “Cin, I can’t go Saturday. I don’t want to leave the kids so soon after they just got here,” Kate replied.

  “Kids? What kids?” Cindy asked, baffled.

  “My kids. I have three foster kids now,” Kate told her. There was complete silence on the phone as Cindy processed what Kate had said.

  After a long silent pause, Kate said, “Hello?”

  “You’re kidding right?” Cindy asked. “That’s not even a good excuse, Kate. You’re not getting out of this so easily.”

  “I’m completely serious, Cindy. I have three foster kids now. You remember that phone call I got yesterday from Mrs. Johnson? Well, she had these kids who needed a home desperately and I just felt compelled to help them,” Kate explained.

  “Are you nuts? You really are crazy, Kate. You’re too young to be a mom to three kids. Did you do this just to get out of dating forever?” Cindy joked.

  “I need to help these kids, Cin. Something about this just feels right. I need to do this,” Kate said with passion.

  “Okay . . . So when do I get to meet these kids?” Cindy asked, changing gears. “I still think you’re crazy, but I know you, and I know you’ll be great with the kids.”

  “Thanks. That means a lot.”

  “I’ll let you off the hook about guys for now, but just because you have kids, that doesn’t mean you can’t go on a date now and then.” Kate laughed. There was the Cindy she knew and loved.

  They spoke a few minutes more, and Kate filled her in on the kids who were now a big part of her life.

  Mrs. Johnson stopped by the house that evening for a home inspection and brought the kids some ice cream. Kate smiled when she left. Everything was settling into place.

  ~*~*~

  Brooks hated waiting. He had called Frank twenty minutes ago and he was still not there. His need to know what had happened to the kids, was nagging at him.

  There was a knock on the door, followed by Frank appearing without waiting to be told to enter. He was one of the only people who could get away with that.

  “We’ll find out where they are tonight. It shouldn’t be that hard to break in and get the address from their file,” Frank told him. “It’s an in-and-out job. No more than a few minutes. The security there is almost non-existent, which is good for us.”

  “Good. I want those children,” Brooks replied, finishing off his second glass of scotch. He rolled the ice around in his glass and contemplated his next move. “We’re too close to finishing this. Those kids need to be here soon. They’ll almost make up for losing the other one.”

  “You’ll get them,” Frank promised, and left Brooks alone once again.

  Brooks looked out his window, not really seeing the manicured lawn, sculptured gardens, and fountain his wife loved so much. He was thinking about his plans and how he was so close to getting exactly what he wanted.

  His wife entered the den and walked up to stand next to him. He gave her a forced half smile. He indulged her most of the time, but she really needed to stay out of his way when he was in a mood. She never knew when to just leave him be.

  “Are you coming in to dinner? You should really come see the children. It’s their only time to spend with you.”

  “Not now, Louise. I’m busy with important matters,” he answered, getting frustrated with her.

  “You can take the time out to eat dinner. At least stop in to see your children,” she nagged.

  “They’re not mine, and I don’t have time for this.” He turned away from her and walked out of the den. He didn’t notice the look she shot him when he walked out.

  She was getting too attached to the kids he had found. They were a means to an end, nothing more. Some had met his expectations, and he rewarded them and kept them around, even after they reached adulthood. Others, well, he had disposed of them. If she was going to get attached to all of them now, it would make getting rid of the disappointments that much harder. He was going to have to do something about that. Maybe send her on an extended trip abroad. That should keep her out of trouble for now.

  ~*~*~

  Dawn Johnson woke up groggily to the repeated sound of a phone ringing. She looked at the clock, and it read 4:42 a.m. Moaning a little and hoping it was not an issue with one of the children from the agency, she answered the phone with a sleepy, “Hello?”

  “Dawn, I hate to wake you, but there was a break-in at your office,” Sam Connors, Director of the state’s entire Family Services Division, told her.

  Suddenly getting a clearer head, she uttered, “Oh my, why would anyone break into the office? We don’t have anything valuable, and we don’t have any prescription medicines there.”

  “It looks like someone was just making mischief. My guess is that it was probably one of the teens who has gone through the system. Some files were thrown around, and items from the desks and shelves are on the floor. You’ll have to come in to see if anything was taken, but I don’t believe that you will find anything missing.”

  “Do I have time for a shower?” she asked.

  “Yes, take your time. We’re securing the window they used to gain entry,” he told her.

  “Okay, I’ll be there soon.” She hung up the phone and flopped back down on the bed for a second. Why would the office be vandalized? She had a really uneasy feeling about it.

  Forty minutes later, Dawn walked into the office to examine the damage. The outer office was a mess, but nothing seemed to be missing. Sheila, the receptionist, would be angry when she came in. Dawn got a bit of a chuckle thinking about it. The woman was miserable half the time anyway, so this would just get her mood started right away. They wouldn’t have to wonder if it was the good or bad Sheila that day. It would be bad Sheila.

  Her office looked like a tornado had hit it and stayed for a while. Nothing was left in or on her desk. The drawers were all open and the contents were thrown on the floor. Her unease grew as she noticed the filing cabinet was torn apart and the files thrown everywhere. She became worried when she noticed her computer had been left on. She had always shut down her computer every night and never left it on. This was not kids making a mess. This was someone looking for something, she thought.

  The filing room where most of the case files were located was in mild disarray. Only one drawer’s contents were thrown around. That drawer was labeled “T.”

  She went back to her office, righted her chair, and sat down with a sigh. She was getting a headache, and she was nervous. This couldn’t possibly be about the Taylor kids, could it? Should she tell someone of her suspicions? Would anyone believe her? The Brooks were a very wealthy and powerful family. Dawn had heard that they had mansions all over the country. She didn’t need to start something with a powerful man. He had given her bad vibes on the phone, but that could have been him lashing out from not getting his way. Powerful people were not used to hearing the word no.

  She was glad that she had taken the file home, but was it safe there? She needed to think. She also needed to make sure the file stayed hidden and those kids remained safe. Should I warn Kate? No, not yet. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. I need to watch and wait.

  Chapter Five

  Kate was content.

  She smiled at the kids lounging in the family room. Cindy had stopped by to meet the kids and fell in love with them instantly. She still thought Kate was a little crazy but she understood.

  It was raining hard outside and the kids decided to watch a movie while waiting for it to stop so they could swim in the pool. They had become fish in the week they had been there. They also appeared to be making friends with some of the other kids in the neighborhood, Zach especially. He was spending a lot of time with Eric from next door. Eric would be in the grade ahead of him at school in September.

  Alex was still hot and cold, but she didn’t display the hostile attitude that Dawn had mentioned. She spent time in the pool with everyone but was still standoffish around the other neighborhood kids. She was also alone in her room a lot of time.

  A loud noise on the back porch startled Kate. She looked up to see Eric with his face plastered to the back door. He was wearing a bright green raincoat and was holding up an even brighter yellow one. Zach jumped up with a smile and ran to the door. Eric stood there dripping on the area rug with a huge grin on his face. Zach looked at Kate. “Can I?”

  Kate laughed and said, “Sure, it’s just raining out. Come inside if you hear any thunder.” With that, both boys rushed off into the rain.

  Kate was glad for the chance to have some alone time with Alex. Maddy was taking a nap, so this was the perfect opportunity.

  Almost as if she read her mind, Alex got up and headed for the stairs. “Alex. Wait a minute. Please sit down.”

  Alex huffed, folded her arms across her chest and flopped down. She wouldn’t look at Kate.

  “Stay and finish the movie with me,” Kate said to her.

  Alex remained in the same position and didn’t speak. She stared at the TV but wasn’t really watching the movie.

  After a few awkward moments with Kate just staring at the TV as well, she heard Alex say, “How long am I going to have to sit here?”

  Kate frowned, looked at Alex and answered, “I just want to spend some time with you, Alex, I’m not trying to torture you and make you just sit here.”

  Alex turned to her in horror. The look of fright on her face was obvious, so Kate asked her what was wrong.

  “Nothing, nothing,” Alex replied, still visibly shaken.

  “Obviously something is wrong. You don’t hide your emotions that well,” Kate told her.

  Alex just continued to stare at Kate.

  “Alex, do you not like living here?” Kate asked.

  “NO! It’s fine,” she exclaimed. “I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to move to another place.”

  “Is that the only reason you’re saying it’s fine? You don’t want to be here, but you don’t want to move again?” Kate prodded.

  Alex shifted in her seat, not really looking up at Kate. “No, I like it here.”

  “Then what is it?” Kate asked. “Please talk to me. I really want to help you, but I can’t do that unless you start talking.”

  Alex didn’t answer.

  “I know you miss your parents,” Kate said gently. “You can talk about them.” Alex still remained quiet. “Do you miss any friends from your old school? I know this last school year you were bounced around a lot. You can try to contact someone from before if you want.”

  Alex turned her back on Kate. There isn’t anyone. No one cares.

  “I care,” Kate said quietly.

  With that, Alex swung around to face Kate. Her eyes were huge. “You heard me?” Alex asked.

  Kate sighed. “Yes I heard you. You said, ‘There isn’t anyone. No one cares.’”

  Alex just stared at Kate, not saying anything. She jumped up and said she was going to look for Zach and ran outside.

  Kate walked to the back door, looked out into the slowing rain, and wondered what had just happened.

  ~*~*~

  Alex ran out into the backyard, not even noticing the rain. She had to find Zach. She crossed over to Eric’s yard, looking for the boys. She spotted a bright flash of yellow in the woods behind the yards and followed the color there. Both boys were in a tree, trying to get to a remote control plane that was stuck in the higher branches.

  “You know you’re going to fall out of that tree, Zach. It’s all wet and you’re going to slip,” Alex called.

  “What are you doing here, Lex?” Zach asked her impatiently.

  “We need to talk, like now.” Alex was tempted to pull him down out of that tree.

  “Go away, Alexandra,” Eric sneered, and almost fell out of the tree, losing the effect.

  Alex ignored him and turned to Zach. “Now, Zach. It’s important.”

  “What, Lex?” Zach huffed. He clearly was not in the mood to deal with his sister. He was having fun, and she had a way of spoiling that. She needed to just relax.

  “I think she’s like us . . .” Alex said with unease. The shock from hearing her say that caused Zach to slip and fall out of the tree. Luckily, he was not that high up, and he was able to land on his feet.

  Scrambling up, he called out to Eric, “I gotta go.” He pulled Alex farther into the woods. “What the heck do you mean, she’s like us?”

  Alex paced around aimlessly while Zach picked at the bark on the tree he was leaning against.

  “Okay, so you’re saying she read your mind. Are you sure? Could it just be that you’re paranoid now that we’re in a new place and we messed up a few times with her already?” Zach asked.

  “You messed up. You were the one who almost got us caught,” Alex shot back, stopping to look directly at him.

  “You’ve done it too. The last place we were at was all your fault,” Zach yelled back.

  “Whatever,” she said as she continued to pace. “You weren’t there. She heard my thoughts. She repeated exactly what I was thinking. She just didn’t realize I hadn’t said anything out loud.” She blew out a loud breath and leaned up against a tree facing Zach.

 

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