Game Plan (an excerpt)

September - Part Five Katherine

AN: I think folks missed this section, find out how Katherine makes her decision and takes a step forward...

SEPTEMBER – PART FIVE

Cooper raised his ears moments before Katherine heard the crunch of tires on the gravel. She knew it was Danny. Cooper would bark at any other car but his. As the engine silenced, the thump of Cooper’s tail on the wood floor quickened. He pushed himself up, slipping his arthritic legs on the floor, and loped over to the door. Katherine smiled as she watched him go then turned back to the pile of pamphlets on the table. Words jumped off the papers: adoption, foster care, children, social worker. Suddenly the timing was all wrong.

“Hey, Coop!” Katherine heard keys fall on the table beside the door. “Where’s your momma?”

“Right here,” Katherine called, hurriedly gathering the papers together. Cooper’s nails clicked on the floor as he followed Danny from the door to the dining room table. She looked up at him as he drew near. She loved that after seven years of marriage her heart still sped up when she saw him in his suit and tie. “Hey,” she said.

“Hey yourself.” He grinned and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. He shifted his gaze from hers to the pile of pamphlets. “What’s all this?”

“Oh nothing … just some information I picked up today. We can talk about it later. What do you want for supper?”

Danny plucked one of the brochures out from under her hands, flipped it over and read the cover. She searched his face for a reaction. As he read, his eyebrows raised and his lips pulled into a silent oh. She could see him collect his emotions and rearrange his face. His eyes moved to hers. “What’s this, Kat?”

“Well, I thought maybe it was worth looking into. I mean, it doesn’t hurt to ask a few questions.”

“You sure?”

“I’m not sure about anything, except that we want a baby and for whatever reason we can’t seem to have one of our — to have one the old-fashioned way…” Her voice faded as she watched him. She could tell he was holding back, letting only a small smile escape around the corners of his mouth. He blinked and his eyes shone. “I think we should look into it,” she added lamely.

“Kat, I — I don’t want to talk you into anything.” He laid the brochure on the table and stepped closer. He reached out and brushed her shoulder as if she were a mirage or a bubble that could dissipate with his touch. “It has to be what we both want, or it won’t work.”

“I know.” Katherine’s confidence returned with a little bit of excitement. “I’m not sure it is, but I am sure it’s worth looking into, right? The worst that happens is we decide it’s not for us. We’ll read up on it, talk to some people and make a decision when we know more. Deal?”

Danny’s face released a beaming smile that reached his eyes. He slipped his long fingers into her hair and framed her face with his palms resting on her jaw. She relaxed into his touch and smiled at him as he blinked wet eyes. “Deal,” he whispered, and pressed a kiss to her lips. Her arms reached up around his back and he dropped his to hold her close. The prick of light in her darkness grew and she felt weight pull up from her shoulders. Deal.

AN: Thanks for reading this excerpt of Game Plan. I will post a new part every Monday and Friday until the chapter is complete. If you need to know what happens with Ella and Katherine, you can get the rest of the story from Amazon or Chapters in ebook or print. Let me know what you think, either here or follow me on Twitter (@NSampson17) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/NatalieCorbettSampson). Happy Reading!