Tracie Peterson (17 page)

Kerns immediately noticed her presence and grabbed her hand, raising their arms high in a victorious salute to the crowd. This would be the front-page photograph for tomorrow’s various state papers, and Cara knew Kerns would play it for all he was worth.

Bulbs flashed nonstop for nearly five minutes, and combined with the television camera lights, Cara’s eyes began to hurt. The noise and lights gave birth to a throbbing sensation that started at the base of her skull and worked its way up and over her forehead. All Cara could do was smile and pray that the night would pass quickly.

Kerns signaled for his supporters to quiet, and Cara was amazed at how quickly they complied. As always, Kerns was in control.

“Thank you!” he called out as the clapping and cheers faded. “Thank you so very much!”

Cara glanced around, noting that Debra and Danielle had been brought onto the platform to stand on the other side of Kerns. Debra looked smashing in a Christian Dior suit of fire engine red, and Danielle, although rather serious in expression, was all feminine charm in a navy-colored angora sweater dress. Looking at her own well-tailored suit of navy blue with a red-and-white print blouse, Cara could see how careful the
planning of this moment had been. Choreographed down to the last detail, the people surrounding Robert Kerns in his victory were true patriots in their red, white, and blue.

“Well, we did it!” Kerns announced, and the cheers rose up again in deafening waves of support. “Without you, none of this would have been possible. My thanks go out to each and every one of you who have seen us through this process and who voted their support to our new administration.” Like an actor confident of his part, Kerns put an arm around Debra and flashed her a loving smile. “And of course,” he began again, “none of this would be possible without my dear wife, Debra, and our daughter, Danielle. They both worked long hours to give me the kind of extra support that always spells victory!”

Again, applause and cheers.

Kerns then turned to Cara, and she thought for a moment her heart might stop beating. The look he gave her was almost threatening, though to the crowd below them, Cara was certain it appeared nothing of the kind. She detected in his eyes, however, a menacing underlying threat that made her blood run cold.

“And to this young woman, my running mate—” Cheers interrupted the speech and Kerns allowed it for a moment. “Cara Kessler, our next lieutenant governor, has worked as hard as anyone. She has devoted herself to the campaign and has made herself available to assist me whenever and wherever I needed her. She is a fine young woman and she will make a tremendous lieutenant governor.”

Applause and five hundred faces turned to acknowledge her. More bulbs flashed, and Cara didn’t know what else to do but smile and wave at the crowd.

Kerns continued his speech, but Cara heard very little of it. Staring down at the audience, she became more aware than ever before that these people expected something of her that she might not be able to give. What would they think of her if they really knew her heart? Would they be so supportive six months from now—or even six weeks?

Politics was such a fickle business, and no one knew this better than Cara, who had borne a good share of stress during her father’s political career. Now she was the one in the limelight. Well, not exactly. She reasoned with herself that the lieutenant governor was just a show position. A second runner-up who would assume the duties of office should the governor be otherwise unable to fulfill his obligations. She’d attend funerals and dinners on behalf of Kerns, and she’d sit behind a fancy desk in the Capitol building. She’d share in meetings with the chief of staff, who would no doubt be Russell Owens, and pretend to agree with whatever fate Kerns had slated for the state. Or would she? What kind of power could she have in this position?

Suddenly her thoughts were running rampant.
I may have had to bow and stoop to Kerns during the election process,
she thought,
but now that I am duly elected, I should have some say as to what I do on behalf of the position.

She thought of HEARTBEAT Ministries and all the children she’d known through the years. Worried kids without futures, frightened kids without hope, desperate kids seeking answers. She wondered how she might benefit them from her position as lieutenant governor.

Cara tried to force herself to concentrate on what Kerns was saying, but it was no use. When she looked out on the precisely assembled mass, it was the faces of nameless children who haunted her. Children who needed her voice to be heard. Children like Teri and Jamie.

Kerns had opened the floor to reporters, and Cara wasn’t surprised when Melissa Jordon asked him point-blank what the focus of his administration would be.

“There are a great many projects and interests on which this administration plans to focus. The concerns of the people are my concerns, and their needs will be my uppermost
consideration,” he replied in political mumbo jumbo while reporters hurried to scrawl notes.

“And you, Mrs. Kessler,” Melissa questioned with a look that went straight through Cara. “What will your focus be?”

Cara hesitated a moment and saw Russell motioning her back to Kerns. Realizing her forum, Cara squared her shoulders and smiled at Melissa. “My focus will be much as it has always been. I want to give a voice to those who have no voice. I want to bring justice to those who can’t seek it for themselves.”

****

Later that evening Kerns followed his wife and daughter into a black limousine, with Russell bringing up the rear and waving reporters away from the vehicle.

His family was greatly subdued by the events of the evening, and although others might have found this strange, Bob Kerns welcomed it. Ripping his tie away from his neck, Kerns turned to Russell.

“Just what did she mean by setting her own agenda? ‘Justice for those who can’t seek it for themselves’?” His voice revealed barely controlled rage.

“I told her not to step out of line. I specifically told her to defer to you on any personal opinion item. Frankly, Bob, I think you’re going to have your hands full with Cara Kessler.”

Kerns caught the expression on his wife’s face. The slightest smirk lined her lips. “I’ll bring her under control,” Kerns promised aloud. “No one is going to ruin this for me—certainly not a do-gooder with a private agenda.”

Debra crossed her legs in a slow deliberate manner and smiled. “This should be more fun than I’d imagined. I’m going to enjoy watching Cara make a monkey out of you.”

Kerns flashed her a warning with the narrowing of his eyes, but it was Owens who spoke. “Cara will do what she’s told to do, or she’ll pay the price. Since there’s only one thing she possesses that really and truly matters to her, I think she’ll be happy to fall into line.”

“And just what is it you think will make Cara Kessler dance to your tune?” Debra asked sarcastically.

Owens and Kerns exchanged a smile.

“She has a daughter,” Kerns stated matter-of-factly.

With the look of an animal about to corner its prey, Owens nodded. “Her name is Brianna.”

Twenty-Five

“I saw you on TV, Mommy!” Brianna declared, crashing into Cara’s bedroom. “That party looked like a lot of fun. Tell me all about it!”

With a moan, Cara rolled over and saw that it was only eight o’clock. She’d barely had five hours of sleep. “Oh, Brianna, it’s too early. Let me rest a little longer.”

The ten-year-old giggled and jumped on top of the bed. “You looked beautiful, and now you’re going to be the governor.”

“Lieutenant governor,” Cara corrected and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes.

“What’s the difference?”

“A great many things, Bri. For one, I won’t have all those responsibilities, and for another, we won’t have to move to Cedar Crest.”

“What’s that?” questioned her daughter.

“That’s where the Kansas governor and his family live. It’s the beautiful house out west of town. Remember the one that sits way back off the interstate on the way to the museum?”

“Oh, wow!” Brianna exclaimed. “I want to live there!”

“Well, you can forget about that,” Cara said, easing herself into a sitting position. “We’ll no doubt visit there on many occasions, so you should get your fill that way.”

“What else is different about your job?” By now, Brianna was bouncing up and down on her knees.

“My job is to support the governor’s office and to help wherever he needs me most. I have some things I can do on my own, but not many. Most of the time I guess I’ll just be working at the Capitol building, and it will be like most any other job.”

“Can I call you at work?” Bri had stopped bouncing and was now scooting off the bed.

“Sure. In fact, I’ll probably even take you to work with me a few times and let you see what I have to do.”

Brianna’s face brightened at this prospect. “I’m going to call my friends!” She hurried from the room, leaving Cara to stare after her.

She is so young and naive,
thought Cara. Like any mother, Cara wanted to protect her child from the evils of the world. But unlike other mothers, Cara felt she was walking right into the middle of a battle. A battle that could well cost them the peaceful world they’d known.

Slipping into a satin robe, Cara was surprised when the telephone rang. Brianna must have gotten herself sidetracked.

“Hello?”

“Hi there, lieutenant governor. Need a pilot to fly you around the state?”

Cara smiled. “Good morning, Harry.”

“You actually looked like you were enjoying yourself last night. Have you given in to the position and decided to accept your lot in life?”

“Hardly.” Cara sat down on the edge of her bed. “I’m just trying to figure out what my role in this entire situation is going to be.”

“Well, how about if I pick up you and Brianna, and we go out for a celebration breakfast? We can discuss your role over eggs and bacon.”

“That sounds wonderful. I suppose being the lieutenant governor-elect has its perks.”

“Maybe I’ll bribe you and be able to keep my job.”

“Hmmm, better make it a good bribe.”

Harry laughed, and the sound warmed her. She could get used to that laugh.

“So, how about if I pick you up in ten minutes?”

“Ten minutes! There’s absolutely no way I can be ready in ten minutes. Give me at least half an hour,” Cara demanded.

“I’ll be there in ten. If you aren’t ready, Brianna and I will go by ourselves.”

“Okay, but you asked for it. I can’t vouch for what I’ll look like.”

“You’ll look perfect,” Harry said with a sudden seriousness to his voice. “You always do.”

Cara hung up the phone, looking forward to the date. “Brianna!” she called, hurrying to her closet. “Harry’s coming to take us to breakfast. He said he’d be here in ten minutes and we’d better be ready!” Cara was pulling out jeans and a white cable knit sweater.

Brianna came running in, clapping her hands. “Harry’s coming!”

The declaration was so positively filled with delight that Cara paused to consider her daughter for a moment.

“You really like Harry, don’t you?” she finally asked.

“Don’t you?” Brianna threw back the question with such matter-of-fact ease that Cara had to laugh.

“Of course. He’s a good friend.”

Brianna was already dancing out the door. “He’d make a good daddy, too. I can tell, ’cause when he laughs his eyes crinkle up.”

Cara was stunned by this revelation. She’d not anticipated Brianna’s astute contemplation of Harry, nor her daughter’s dreams for him.

Ten minutes later to the second, Harry rang the doorbell.

“Well, I must say, you are a man of your word.” Cara offered a beaming smile and stepped back from the door.

Harry was dressed in a heavy denim jacket, plaid flannel shirt, and blue jeans. In what little time they’d actually managed to spend together, Cara couldn’t remember him wearing anything but jeans or his patrolman uniform.

“What?” Harry questioned, looking down at his shirt. “Did I spill something on me? Did my buttons pop off?”

Brianna’s laughter filled the air. “She looks at me like that before she lets me go to school or church.”

Cara blushed, feeling her cheeks grow red-hot.

“I like it when she looks at me that way,” Harry confided conspiratorially to Brianna.

“I don’t,” the girl admitted. “It usually means I have to go wash my face again.”

“Well?” he asked Cara, lifting his chin in first one direction and then the other. “Should I go wash my face?”

Cara couldn’t contain the laughter that rose up in her throat. “I give up. Didn’t someone promise me breakfast? I believe I’ve kept my end of the deal. I’ve never dressed so fast in my life.”

“I guess we’d better head over to Cracker Barrel then,” Harry agreed. “I wouldn’t want to go back on my word.” He smiled, and when he did, Cara couldn’t help but notice the laugh lines around his eyes.

As if reading her mother’s mind, Brianna reached out and took hold of Harry’s hand. “I told you his eyes crinkled.”

“So you did,” Cara replied, noticing that Harry’s expression had changed to one of confusion. “Don’t worry about it,” she told him. “I’ll explain it later.”

When they walked into the restaurant, Cara was immediately recognized, and two people even came forward with their newspapers and asked for her autograph.

“People around here are starved for celebrities,” she muttered as they were led to a table in the corner. “I’d better sit on the inside. Maybe that will discourage interruptions.”

“Don’t bet on it,” Harry said. “I’ve worked at this for four years, remember? But I tell you what. This will be my chance to prove what a great asset I could be to the new administration. I’ll play bodyguard and keep the crowd away.”

“Are you really a celebrity now, Mom?”

Cara shook her head. “I don’t think so, Brianna.”

“Hey, congratulations,” a petite redheaded waitress said. She put down three glasses of water as she introduced herself. “I voted for you and that Kerns fellow. I figured it was time to get more women in government.”