Ana Seymour by Father for Keeps Page A

answered, “Yes, Sean, I met with your parents by myself. I showed them our daughter, though with you mysteriously gone, I’m not sure if they believed she was your daughter or not.”
    “Katie, I’m sure there’s no doubt in their minds.”
    “How would you know? You weren’t there. Your mother had several careful questions about all the men I supposedly harbor under my roof, implying. I don’t know what. By the end of her interrogation, even your father was looking at me a bit askance and observing that it was peculiar that you weren’t there.”
    Sean shook his head, winced at the pain, then looked down at the carpet. “I’ll talk to them this morning. We’ll straighten it out, don’t worry. As soon as they get to know Caroline, they’ll love her.and you, too.” He looked up at her and did his best to muster one of his charming smiles.
    Kate’s expression didn’t change. “I was dreadfully worried when you didn’t come home. I thought something terrible must have happened.”
    Sean stood again and walked over to her, putting his arms around her and drawing her resisting body close. “I have no excuse, Katie. It was a miserable thing to do. I went down to the Golden Garter to meet with some of my friends and they invited me to join a game. One thing led to another.” He coupled his cajoling tone with small circular caresses along the length of her spine. “I’m a wretch. You should hate me.”
    “I don’t hate you, Sean,” she murmured, her voice and her back softening at the same time.
    “Well, you should.” His hand reached her waistand drew her more firmly against him and his lips nuzzled her neck. “I’ll make it up to you, sweetheart. We’ll spend the day together. And—” he straightened and his face brightened “—you got the presents I sent, didn’t you?”
    Kate pulled away. “Yes, your mother brought me the dresses. They’re, um, very nice.”
    “We’ll get more, too. A whole new wardrobe. And jewelry. Anything you want.”
    Kate looked puzzled. “Sean, it’s not necessary for you to shower me with gifts just because I’m upset over your behavior. The fact that I’m angry doesn’t mean I’ve stopped loving you. It just means that I was disappointed that you weren’t here last night. And that I found it inconsiderate of you not to let me know.”
    Her explanation was calm and logical. It was not a type of anger that Sean was familiar with. When his father was angry, he became withdrawn, cold. When his mother was angry, she became so shrill that everyone between here and the wharf knew of her displeasure.
    But Kate’s composed acceptance of his transgression only made him feel more guilty. “Well, if you don’t want gifts, what can I do to make it up to you?”
    Kate gave him a glance up and down. “For starters, I’d say you could use a change of clothes. I believe that’s the same suit you were wearing yesterday.”
    He nodded, embarrassed. “I should wash up and get dressed. Then we’ll go get Caroline and take her down to breakfast with us. If Mother and Father are there, I’ll offer them my apologies, as well.”
    She must have realized that his remorse was sincere,because she gave him a slight smile. “I’ll wait for you in the nursery,” she said. “Caroline’s quite taken to it, by the way, and to Nonny, too.”
    “Everyone takes to Nonny,” Sean answered with a grin. Then he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for being so nice about this, Katie.”
    She nodded, then left him to make himself presentable.
    Kate was not feeling as charitable as her smile to Sean would indicate, but she was at a loss how to handle her husband’s unexpected disappearance. In all her imaginings of what she would encounter in the Flahertys’ fancy San Francisco world, she’d never once considered that she’d be facing it without Sean at her side to support her. The previous evening had been miserable from the moment she’d donned the hideous purple