Marrying Kate Read Online Free PDF

desk to leave the building and that she hadn’t done that yet.
    He felt like a heel. A first class, worn to the sole , heel. He had not even considered Kate for marriage, so sure that she was eager to return to her career. It had been a shock to hear that she’d lost her job. All for the sake of the children. Now what was he going to do? He had to convince her to marry him. There was no one else and aside from all that, she loved the children and there was no doubt they needed her, even if she couldn’t cook worth a hoot.
    “ Could you go in there and tell her we have to pick up the kids at school?” Jared asked the secretary.
    She nodded and got up. In a few seconds she was back. “She said she’d be right out.”
    “ Thanks.” Jared willed himself to stand still at the window as he waited for her.
    “ I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.” Kate’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
    Jared spun on his heel to see her standing behind him, Dani still sleeping soundly in her arms. She looked pale but determination was etched on her face. It was the emotion in her eyes that caught him though. For the first time he really looked at her, looked passed the cool reserve to the woman beneath. They had all badly misjudged the woman standing in front of him. And it was their loss, Jared knew.
    “ Dani dropped this.” Jared held the bottle out, a peace offering of sorts. Kate took it from his hand and slid it into the diaper bag. “Do you want me to carry her? She must be heavy.”
    “ She’s fine. It’s less likely she’ll wake up if I just carry her.” Kate turned and headed for the door. Jared followed, reaching out to hold it open for her.
    The silence that surrounded them now was thick with emotion and tension that hadn’t been there earlier. Jared wanted to say something , but he wasn’t sure what. They didn’t have time to get into everything before they picked the kids up. It would have to wait for later.
    At the school they stood together outside the car while Dani slept in her car seat. The moment the kids spotted them they came flying across the schoolyard to meet them.
    “ Auntie Kate! Auntie Kate!” Bry was the first to greet them, a wide grin on his face. “Look at this!”
    He held up a paper that Kate took and gave serious perusal. Jared watched as a slow smile spread across her face.
    Kate reached out and grabbed Bry close. “You did it! You got them all right! You did such a great job, Bryan. I’m so proud of you.” She captured his head in her hands and tilted his face upward to give him a kiss on the forehead. “I knew you could do it.”
    Bry beamed with pride. “Can I show Uncle Jared?” Kate nodded and surrendered the paper to him.
    While Jared congratulated Bry, he noticed Kate talking with Amelia and Candy, both of whom excitedly shared about their day. It hadn’t escaped his notice that they had gone to her first, eager to share their accomplishments. They did need her, and from the way her face lit up with love at their attention, Jared would venture to say that Kate needed them too.
    “ Auntie Kate,” Bry spoke hesitantly. “The teacher said to tell you I need new shoes for gym class. My old ones are too tight. I tried to wear them but they pinch my toes and hurt. I’m sorry.”
    Jared’s brows pulled together as he frowned. “What are you sorry about, Bry? There’s no big deal. We’ll just go buy you some new shoes.”
    Bry’s eyes lit up. “Really? But what about groceries?”
    “ Groceries?” Jared glanced at Kate. “Do we need groceries too? We can stop on our way home.”
    “ No, I mean before, Auntie Kate wouldn’t buy a new pair of boots for herself even though the old ones had a crack because she said we needed the money for groceries,” Bry informed him earnestly.
    Kate laid a hand on Bry’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, sweetie. Your uncle will take care of everything. Why don’t we get in the car?”
    Jared noticed Kate wouldn’t meet his gaze