A Face in the Shadows. Lenora Worth

a month before Brandon’s birthday, and it was all he could talk about.

      Kate took Brandon by the hand, leading him to the small round breakfast table centered under the bay window. “I’m sorry, honey. He can’t take time away from work.”

      Considering Dexter had finally found a new job after being unemployed for five months, Kate could almost sympathize with her ex-husband. She wanted to believe he had long-term, unbreakable plans, but she knew he was more likely planning to go to some sports event or a rock concert instead. Dexter still had a lot of growing up to do. He hadn’t asked for joint custody of their child because he didn’t want to deal with fatherhood, even part-time. He just didn’t want to have a family at all.

      “But he promised,” Brandon said, his bottom lip beginning to quiver. “How come he misses everything? He missed Christmas, ’member?”

      “I remember,” Kate said, taking her son onto her lap. “Daddy lives far away now, so it’s hard for him to make arrangements. But he loves you, you know. And I’m thinking he’ll send a nice present even if he can’t be here.” She’d see to that herself, just as she always did.

      Brandon pressed his head against her fleece bathrobe. “Why can’t he just bring the present? Then I could have my daddy here, too. Like we used to be.”

      Kate knew Brandon wanted his family back together. Had she been wrong to do this to her child? She’d certainly tried to make her marriage work; she’d prayed about it, consulted her minister back in Nashville, even begged Dexter to go to counseling with the minister. But in the end, Dexter hadn’t wanted to do that. He’d simply decided he had to have his freedom. And now, it seemed as if his son didn’t matter to him either. Since they’d been back in Magnolia Falls, Dexter had called Brandon only a few times and had seen him even less.

      But it mattered to Kate. She glanced out the window to the street. She’d been lucky to find this little cottage in the older part of Magnolia Falls, not far from the college campus. Here the streets were lined with moss-draped live oaks, age-old magnolias and crape myrtles. But her backyard wasn’t really big enough to hold a birthday party, and her budget didn’t allow for having a party at the fun-filled pizza place out on the interstate. She debated asking her mom to host the party, but Grace Duncan did more than her share of babysitting when Kate had to work extra shifts or stay late at the hospital. And besides, Grace would turn what should be a fun time into some sort of formal, stuffy event.

      “What we need is a big yard for your party,” Kate said. “Like a park or a nice garden, maybe.”

      Brandon perked up at that, his eyes going bright. “Nana Grace says Mr. Parker Buchanan has the biggest yard in the county. She says his garden is supposed to be real pretty. I heard her talking ’bout it with Mrs. Welch from church. Maybe we could borrow his yard.”

      Wishing her well-meaning but gossip-loving mother hadn’t spilled the news that the Patchman creator lived about eight miles from them, Kate looked down at her son. “Oh, honey, Mr. Buchanan is a very busy man. And he doesn’t like visitors on his estate.”

      Which is why she’d hesitated even to try to track Parker down since the class reunion months ago. Each time his name came up amongst her friends, Kate tried to change the subject. By not getting back in touch, Parker had made it clear he didn’t want to be bothered. Not even by an old classmate. And not even a murder investigation could change that, since it had been rumored that he’d balked when everyone attending the reunion had had to submit statements to the police.

      Parker Buchanan might live in Magnolia Falls, but he was apparently off-limits to everyone in town. He hadn’t even tried to call Kate after they’d reconnected at the reunion. But then, she hadn’t made any effort to keep in touch with him either. She told herself that was because she was a busy working mom and distracted by all the strange happenings around the college campus lately.

      “If we asked nice though?” Brandon said, his eyes widening. “You always say to use manners.”

      Kate had to smile at that. “Yes, manners are important, but asking someone for the use of their home isn’t very polite.”

      “Even if we say please?”

      Brandon’s innocence never ceased to amaze her. But she also worried that her son would get hurt if he got grand ideas about meeting the famous Parker Buchanan. Yet Parker had said at the reunion that he’d like to meet Brandon.

      With all the scandal following the identity of the body buried on the campus grounds, everyone was a bit skittish. The media had tried to get comments from the entire class, including Parker. But she reminded herself again, he wasn’t talking to anyone, let alone the media, about his relationship with Josie.

      Even though she hadn’t seen Parker again since that night, maybe now was not such a good time to get in touch with him. Or maybe it could be the best time, she couldn’t help thinking. Planning her son’s birthday party would help take Kate’s mind off that grisly discovery, at least. But what about Parker? Could he use a distraction, too? It just might work.

      If she used her manners, of course.

      “Tell you what,” she said as she placed Brandon on his feet. “You finish getting ready for school and I’ll see what I can do. I’ll try to find a special place for your party, I promise.”

      “At Mr. Parker’s?”

      “I didn’t say that. But we’ll have to see. Don’t get your hopes up, okay?”

      Brandon nodded. “’Kay. But I’m gonna pray about it.”

      Another of her mother’s phrases Brandon had picked up. Praying about things was a good idea, if you didn’t pray for the wrong things, of course.

      “Dear God,” she said as she picked up Brandon’s empty cereal bowl, “if You can see fit to help me make my son’s ninth birthday special, I would so appreciate it.”

      And in the meantime, Kate would give Parker a call. After all, another one of her mother’s phrases was “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, but I have to make the effort to be strong in Christ.” Kate certainly knew that particular piece of wisdom firsthand. She could only depend on God’s grace and her own strength to take care of her son.

      Now, if only Parker Buchanan would see fit to make Brandon’s wish come true.

      Parker stopped drawing to listen to the phone message once again. Just to torture himself a little bit more, he reasoned.

      “Hi, uh…Parker, it’s Kate. Kate Brooks. You are one tough man to track down. I had to go through an agent and a publicist to get this number.”

      Only because Parker had given his publicist permission to give it to her, he thought. Just out of curiosity, and not because of a keen need to see Kate again, he reasoned. He had no idea what she wanted, but he wasn’t ready to face her again. Not right now, just after he’d been hounded by the press and questioned briefly by the police about the latest developments in the murder case. He expected the police to question him again any day now, too.

      “Anyway, I need to ask you a huge favor. Can you call me, please?”

      Parker listened as Kate gave him her home number. He’d had it memorized since the message had come in yesterday, but he had yet to return her call. Or delete her message. His publicist didn’t know what it was about. Kate wouldn’t say. She just needed to talk to Parker.

      A favor?

      What kind of favor could she want?

      Getting up to pour himself another cup of black coffee, Parker stared out into the night, his two loyal German shepherds, Patch and Daisy, following him across the spacious room. On the other side of his desk in the cozy sitting area, a fire crackled in the massive stone fireplace, warding off the last of the winter chill. His office was downstairs on the back of the house, overlooking the pool he’d had renovated this winter. The row of paned windows and doors across one entire wall gave him a stunning view of the sparkling water and