There was nothing Caitlyn could say to that. After all, a few days of being pampered definitely held some appeal. It was the idea that she should be on the hunt for a man while she was there that bothered her. Did they really think her life lacked meaning and purpose because she wasn't married with children?
"Tell Dad his message was received."
And would be ignored.
Driving out of the parking lot, she wondered why her mother couldn't understand why Caitlyn found the life she'd built for herself after the divorce so satisfying. A good example was how excited she was about this next tutoring session. She always took great pleasure in seeing her students' progress, and Ricky Patton was her star pupil this summer. Beneath that teenage-boy gruffness, he was really likable, and she was convinced he just might excel in school given the right support. Certainly, he'd done well so far with his math lessons, and she held great hope that he'd be able to catch up just as quickly in his other subjects.
But honesty made her admit that part of her excitement was due to the possibility she might see Jack McShane again. She had no desire to get involved with any man right now and especially not the foster father of one of her students. That was a complication she didn't need in her life.
However, the intense attraction she felt for the man was a nice reminder that her ex-husband hadn't succeeded in ruining her for all men. Who knows, maybe she had healed enough to be ready to let someone into her life again, which brought her back to the reservation at the resort. Maybe she should go and perhaps indulge in a little flirtation. Nothing serious. Nothing permanent. Just some fun and laughs.
The guy, whoever he was, would have to be attractive and intelligent. A great sense of humor wouldn't hurt his cause, either. While she was asking for the moon, there was one more thing. Back before she'd met Josh, she'd always had a thing for a guy who was a good dancer. It was one of many things she'd given up for that man. Next time, if there was one, she wouldn't settle for anything less than someone who made her happy, and that meant dancing.
As she drove, she tried to imagine just what this paragon of American manhood would look like. In the past, she would've said she preferred a blue-eyed blond, but for some reason the imaginary guy twirling her on a dimly lit dance floor insisted on having reddish-brown hair worn military short and intelligent green eyes. He was also tall with broad shoulders, the perfect build for holding a woman close.
The car behind her honked, dragging Caitlyn out of her dream world and back into the moment. Whoops! The light had changed while her imagination had been running wild. She lifted her hand in apology and drove through the intersection. Considering she was only a few blocks from her destination, it was time to get her head back in the game.
She spent the remaining time mentally reviewing her lesson plans for Ricky. By the time she pulled up in front of the house, she was ready and back on target. It came almost as a relief to notice that Jack's SUV was missing from the driveway. He never intruded on her time with Ricky, but she'd been almost painfully aware of him moving around in the kitchen or passing by the dining room window on his way to the garage out back.
Marlene stepped out onto the porch just as Caitlyn started up the driveway. "Hi, Caitlyn. Come on in. I baked some chocolate chip cookies this morning. I hope you don't mind if I pack some up for you to take home with you."
"My hips might not thank you, but I'd be crazy to turn down some of your cookies."
The older woman looked pleased. "I know I shouldn't bake as much as I do, but I can't seem to help myself. My late husband had a major sweet tooth, and somehow baking makes me feel like he's still here with me. As a growing boy, Ricky can make a fair number of the cookies disappear, but even he can't eat them all by himself."
"Jack doesn't help him?"
Marlene opened the door and followed Caitlyn into the house. "Normally he does, but he's out of the … that is, he's out of town for a few days. He's supposed to be back over the weekend."
Interesting. That slight hesitation sounded as if Marlene had started to say something else before catching herself. Where had Jack gone that his mother thought it had to be kept secret? Not that it was any of Caitlyn's business. She realized the other woman was still talking.
"Anyway, I also mail care packages to my other two sons. If they can't eat everything I send them, their friends are only too happy to help out."
"Ricky mentioned that you have two sons still in the service and that Jack had been in the army."
A mother's pride in her sons shone brightly in Marlene's smile. "Jack was in the Special Forces until he hurt his knee. Tino is in the military police, and Mikhail is a recon marine. I guess you could say that it runs in the family. My husband was in the army for twenty years himself. He was so pleased that all of our boys understood how important it was to give back to our country."
Marlene crossed the living room to pick up one of the framed pictures that were scattered around the room. "This picture of us was taken last year when they were all home at the same time. As you can imagine, that doesn't happen very often. In fact, the last time was when they came home for Joe's funeral."
Her voice cracked just a bit, and her eyes sparkled a little too brightly with a sheen of tears. Then she drew a deep breath and smiled as she handed the photo to Caitlyn. "Sorry about that. Some days are harder than others. But as I was saying, these are my sons. They've all served with distinction."
Caitlyn did her best to hide her shock. She'd already noticed that Jack didn't look like his mother and knew they didn't share the same last name. She hadn't given the matter much thought, but it was clear from the picture that Jack and his brothers couldn't be related by blood. Although each was striking in his own way and looked really good in a uniform, the resemblance ended there. Jack's chestnut-colored hair and green eyes stood out in sharp contrast to one brother's dark eyes and hair while the third had silvery-blond hair and icy-blue eyes.
Beyond that, Jack's features were more blunt, and he carried more muscle than either of the other two. The dark-haired brother was built along leaner lines, and his handsome face looked Italian or perhaps Greek. The third member of the group stood several inches taller than either of the other two and definitely had the cheekbones to go along with his Slavic coloring.
"I can see why you'd be so proud of them. They're all very handsome."
She suspected that some of her confusion showed, because the other woman smiled again. She pointed at each of her sons in succession. "Jack came to live with us first, followed by Tino, and then Mikhail. There's less than a year between the three of them in age."
Marlene set the picture back on the table. "My Joe and I fostered several children before Jack came, mostly ones who needed a place to stay for a short time. He was the first one who needed a permanent placement."
Before she could continue, Ricky walked into the room, a visible reminder that Caitlyn wasn't there to soak up information about Jack McShane and his brothers. "Hi, Ricky! Are you ready to get started?"
He nodded and did an immediate about-face to head for their usual spot at the dining room table. The two women watched as he settled in and opened his math book.
Marlene dropped her voice. "How is he doing?"
"Really great, at least so far. I deliberately started off with math, because he likes it. However, today we're going to begin working on language arts, which he's not so thrilled about."
"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Meanwhile, I'll go finish packing up your cookies. Can I bring you a cup of tea?"
"That would be nice, but don't go to any special effort for me."
"It's no effort at all. I often have a cup about this time of day myself. I'll fix our tea, and then I'll be upstairs in the sewing room."
That was the second time Marlene had mentioned spending time sewing. "What are you making?"
"I like piecing quilts and belong to a quilting group through my church. We donate lap quilts to nursing homes, but we also make some little ones for the fire department to give to children with the teddy bears they hand out after accidents or house fires."
She glanced back at the picture of her sons with a wistful smile. "I'm also piecing quilts for each of my sons for when they get married someday. So far, none of them have had any serious relationships, but I can always hope."