Книга - Whose Baby?

Whose Baby?
Delores Fossen


Experience the thrill of life on the edge and set your adrenalin pumping! These gripping stories see heroic characters fight for survival and find love in the face of danger.Two babies switched at birth Rich, powerful and dangerously attractive, Nick Lattimer was the only hope she had of finding out the truth.But he had the power to claim both the baby boy Kelly had raised and the biological son she’d never known. Someone wanted them dead…someone who’d stop at nothing to make sure the babies’ cries were silenced forever.There was only one way for Kelly to keep the boys safe. She’d have to join forces with the last man she should trust – and the only person who loved the children as much as she did.For Their Baby’s Sake Safeguarding children is their first priority.







“Those men wanted to kill us.”

Because Kelly seemed on the verge of collapsing, Nick slid his arm around her and pulled her to him. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think they had murder on their minds.”

Blinking back the tears, she looked up at him. “Then what did they want?”

“I think this might have been a kidnapping attempt. If they’d wanted to kill you and the babies, they would have stayed in the cover of the trees and fired the shots.”

“You think they wanted information?”

He looked down at her and didn’t pull any punches. “Those men could come back. Next time, you might not be so lucky. This isn’t really a request, Kelly. You and Joseph are moving in with me at the ranch.”



CAST OF CHARACTERS

Kelly Manning – She’s shocked to learn that someone switched her newborn son with another child. Kelly’s investigation leads her to successful rancher Nick Lattimer, who’s been raising her child.

Nick Lattimer – Joining forces with Kelly Manning was the last thing he expected. Can he keep Kelly and the babies safe?

Joseph – The son Kelly has raised since birth. Even though they don’t share the same DNA, he’s her child.

William – The baby Nick loves as his own. He’s not willing to give up William to Kelly, even if she is his biological mother.

Eric Lattimer – Nick’s ruthless brother who’ll do anything, including commit murder, to make sure he doesn’t have to share his inheritance with Nick’s heirs.

Cooper Morris – The head of security at Nick’s ranch.

Todd Burgess – A Justice Department agent who’s trying to gather enough evidence to have Eric arrested.

Denny Russell – Kelly’s PI friend who Nick immediately distrusts. Denny is keeping some dark secrets about his past.

Paula Barker – She’s on the Justice Department task force that’s trying to stop Eric, but does she have her own agenda?

Rosalinda McMillan – Eric’s former secretary who claims she’ll do anything to bring Eric to justice.

Collena Drake – The troubled former cop who now devotes her life to finding out what happened in the Brighton Birthing Centre where the babies were switched.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Imagine a family tree that includes Texas cowboys, Choctaw and Cherokee Indians, a Louisiana pirate and a Scottish rebel who battled side by side with William Wallace. With ancestors like that, it’s easy to understand why Texas author and former air force captain Delores Fossen feels as if she was genetically predisposed to writing romances. Along the way to fulfilling her DNA destiny, Delores married an air force top gun who just happens to be of Viking descent. With all those romantic bases covered, she doesn’t have to look too far for inspiration.




Whose Baby?


DELORES FOSSEN




www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


To Minette. This one’s for you.


Chapter One

Bexar County, Texas

Kelly Manning checked to make sure no one was following her. No one was. She was alone in the dimly lit hallway.

So far, so good.

Too bad her pounding heart and racing breath didn’t quite grasp that she was close to succeeding. A minute, maybe less, and she’d have what she needed and would be away from Nick Lattimer’s ranch.

Of course, this could be just the beginning. Not exactly a comforting thought, but she would cross that bridge if she came to it. However, it was impossible to push aside the thought that the next few minutes could change her life forever.

She eased open the door to the nursery and ducked inside. The nanny was in the kitchen indulging in a late-night snack, so other than the baby, the suite would be empty. Timing was indeed everything. If any of the half-dozen or so “security guards” and household staff caught her, they would no doubt alert their boss.

Definitely not good.

Kelly hurried across the room to the crib. The baby was there. Sleeping. He was tucked beneath a blue satin-rimmed blanket. All she could see of him was the mop of blondish-brown hair, but with just that bit of visual info, she had to fight to hold on to her breath. Now wasn’t the time to let her emotions get in the way of what she had to do.

With her hands trembling, she reached for the small vial she’d hidden in her bra. But reaching for it was as far as she got.

“Mind telling me what you’re doing here?” she heard someone ask.

The sound shot through her entire body, and Kelly gasped. She didn’t recognize the voice, but she had no doubt that it belonged to Nick Lattimer, the lord of the massive Texas ranch she was trespassing on. And he was the last person on earth she wanted to come face-to-face with tonight.

Heaven help her.

Dreading what she would see, Kelly angled her eyes in the direction of his voice. He was in the shadows, his shoulder resting against the doorjamb of the adjoining room. His head was slightly tilted to the side. Studying her. He wore a tux and a formidable take-no-prisoners expression.

“I was looking for the ladies’ room,” she managed to say. She’d practiced it enough that thankfully her voice didn’t crack.

He pushed away from the doorjamb, a slick effortless move, and he started toward her. A pair of delicate angel night-lights illuminated his way. Ironic, since there was nothing angelic or delicate about him.

His midnight-black hair fell long and fashionably untamed against his neck. Dark, brooding eyes. Chiseled jaw. High cheekbones that hinted of Native American blood. He was handsome by anyone’s standards.

Including hers, much to her disgust.

But his looks didn’t make him less dangerous. From all accounts, he was an ends-justifies-the-means sort of man. Any means.

“The caterer and party staff were instructed to use the downstairs facilities,” he informed her.

Kelly nodded. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t know that.” She turned to walk away.

Nick Lattimer shifted to the side and blocked her exit. He didn’t stop there. He blocked her a second time when she tried to go around him. Then he circled her. Slowly. Like a hungry jungle cat stalking his prey.

Outside the window, lightning stabbed across the sky, quickly followed by thunder. The November storm only added to the menacing energy simmering around him.

“I wasn’t joking about having to go to the ladies’ room.” Kelly tried to keep her tone light. She failed. Her heart was beating so hard and fast that she thought her ribs might crack.

He was behind her when she heard the whisper-soft sound. She might not have even known what it was. But she was a cop’s widow.

It was a gun.

Oh, mercy.

It’d been a serious mistake coming here, but it was too late to turn back.

She got a good look at the weapon as he finished circling her and came to a standstill directly in front of her. Yes, it was definitely a gun. An expensive, high-powered Glock. Not an amateur’s weapon of choice. It was too much to hope that he didn’t know how to use it.

Her stomach tightened into a cold, hard knot.

Kelly forced herself not to panic. The stakes were too high for her to lose it. “Listen, I’ve obviously upset you by being here. It won’t happen again.”

“I don’t doubt that. Only a handful of people have ever managed to upset me more than once.” His narrowed gaze slid over her. “Who sent you?”

She’d anticipated a lot of questions. But not that one. Kelly shook her head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… Who. Sent. You?”

Okay. It was clear from his sarcastic tone that he had his own issues and wouldn’t let her just walk out. It was time to show a little backbone.

She hiked up her chin. “I understood what you said, but I thought the answer was obvious. I work for the caterer you hired for your dinner party.” She pointed to her clothes. “You didn’t think I was wearing this tacky polyester uniform to make a fashion statement, did you?”

“No. But it did occur to me that you were wearing it so you could gain access to my home. And to this particular room.”

Without taking his lethal gaze off her, he reached out, snagged her by the shoulder and pushed her against the wall. Her right cheek landed next to a cheery cherub mural.

Other than a startled sound of protest, Kelly didn’t have time to react before his left hand was on her. Moving across her back. To her sides. And her stomach. She battled with her instincts to fight back. But this wasn’t a fight she could win. Not with his size and that Glock. Maybe once he realized she wasn’t armed, he’d back off. Of course, he might find the vial. Even so, he likely wouldn’t know what it was.

“So, is this how you treat your hired help?” Kelly snarled.

“It is when I find them in places they shouldn’t be.”

That searching hand went lower, to the stretchy waist of her dark-blue skirt. And even lower. He slid his palm along the outside of her legs. Then, the inside.

All the way up.

When his fingers made it to the lower front of her panties, Kelly grabbed his wrist and clamped onto his hand. Too bad she hadn’t opted to wear her sturdy cotton underwear. Or her big-girl panties, as her grandmother used to call them. Instead, she had a little swatch of silk and lace that allowed her to feel every inch of his touch.

A touch she didn’t want to feel.

She glared at him over her shoulder. “This isn’t necessary.”

“Oh, but it is,” he countered.

Kelly had stopped his search in her panty region. Not the best idea she had ever had. Maybe it was her grip on his wrist, or maybe he was just a jerk—either way, he kept his hand there.

“Look, if this is your idea of foreplay—”

“It isn’t.” He threw off her grip and resumed his search. “Trust me, if it were foreplay, at least one of us would be enjoying it.”

Apparently finished with the zinging smart-aleck comebacks and the search of her midsection, he caught on to her shoulder and whirled her around to face him. Kelly had to look up to meet him eye to eye. She was five-six, and he had a good seven inches on her. Plus, there was the weight difference. He outsized her by sixty pounds or more.

All muscle, no doubt.

He didn’t look like the excessive-body-fat type. His size and strength would be a definite liability if she had to fight her way out of there.

Unfortunately, she might not have a choice about that.

“Were you trying to kidnap the baby?” Lattimer demanded.

That didn’t do much to ease the knot in her stomach. Whatever she’d been expecting him to say, that wasn’t it. “No! Absolutely not.”

“Good. Because you would have failed.” He tucked his gun inside a holster hidden beneath his jacket, reached over and threw back the blanket.

Stunned with his abrupt movement and with the fact that the baby didn’t react to that movement, Kelly glanced in the crib. She didn’t need the overhead light to realize it wasn’t a baby but a doll.

A doll!

All of this had been for nothing.

“Listen carefully,” Lattimer continued, speaking through nearly clenched teeth. He also got right in her face. “I don’t tolerate thieves, even when they pose as polyester-wearing employees. I’m especially not fond of money-hungry opportunists like you who try to come in here and kidnap a child. No repeats of what happened to the Lindbergh baby. Understand?”

Somehow, Kelly managed to find enough breath to speak. “I’m not a kidnapper.” This time, all the rehearsal in the world couldn’t have stopped her voice from trembling. “I was just looking for the bathroom.”

That repeated denial obviously didn’t please him. His eyes, those dark dangerous gray eyes, narrowed to slits. He grabbed a fistful of her blouse, and without taking his gaze from hers, he reached inside. To her bra. It only took him a second before he retrieved the thin plastic vial.

Judas Priest. He must have seen her reach for it earlier.

“Did you plan to drug the baby?” he asked.

Lattimer didn’t give her a chance to flat-out deny it. He opened it and extracted the swab that was enclosed in a clear plastic vial. He brought it to his nose. And sniffed it. Kelly knew for a fact there was nothing to smell because the swab was sterile.

“It’s a lab test kit,” she volunteered.

She took a deep breath and prayed he’d buy the lie she was about to tell him—especially since he obviously hadn’t believed anything else she’d had to say. “My doctor thought I might have strep.” Kelly purposely coughed on him and didn’t cover her mouth, hoping it would spur him to let her leave. “I’m supposed to swab my throat and drop it off at his office.”

He stared at it. A moment. Before he cursed under his breath. “It’s not for strep. It’s for a DNA test.”

Nick Lattimer groaned, a feral sound rumbling deep from within his chest, and he launched the vial into the massive fireplace on the other side of the room. The plastic shattered when it hit the stone-lined hearth. “Who the hell sent you here?”

She barely got out a denying shake of her head before Lattimer latched on to her again. He put her back against the wall. Not nicely, either. He meant business.

“My ward, William, doesn’t need another DNA test,” he insisted. “Let me spell this out for you.” He flicked on the overhead light and shoved his hands against the wall, imprisoning her. He leaned in, so close that she could see the swirls of gray and flecks of steel blue in his eyes. “William is not my biological child, and I have no plans to adopt him.”

Kelly had suspected the first part.

She’d prayed for the second part to be true.

“William’s really not your son?” she asked, desperate for him to confirm it.

“No.” Lattimer mumbled something else under his breath. “I thought maybe once…but that doesn’t matter. Not now. His mother is dead. He has no one else but me to raise him.”

So, there it was. All laid out for her. The only thing missing was the proverbial silver platter.

“But I think William does have someone else to raise him,” she whispered.

Something flickered in those icy blue-gray eyes. Surprise, maybe. Maybe something more. “Care to explain what you mean by that?”

Kelly nodded. “His mother’s not dead.” And because it was necessary, Kelly paused to clear her throat. “William is my son.”


Chapter Two

William is my son.

Right.

Nick didn’t know whether to laugh or curse some more. This woman was obviously delusional. Or maybe the person who’d hired her had brainwashed her into believing that she was indeed William’s mother so that she would do whatever had been asked of her.

Now, the question was—what had been asked of her?

Who had done the asking?

And how far was she willing to go to get it done?

Nick looked her right in the eyes. “Let’s try this again.” He held up his index finger. “Who are you?” Another finger lifted. “Who hired you?” He put up a third finger. “And explain to me why the hell I should just let you walk out of here alive.”

The threat garnered her complete attention. It also seemed to rile her a bit. Nick was almost positive he saw a flash of anger rifle through her jade-colored eyes.

She reached out and pushed down one of his fingers. “I’m Kelly Manning.” She pushed down another one. “I work for no one. Well, not on a regular basis anyway. I’m a freelance photographer in San Antonio.” She wasn’t so gentle when lowering his third finger. “And the reason I plan to walk out of here alive is because I’ve done nothing that warrants you trying to kill me.”

“That’s debatable.”

Kelly Manning. Nick silently repeated her name several times to see if it rang any bells.

It didn’t.

He was about to add another round of questions, but the door opened. It was Cooper Morris, the head of security for the ranch. A hulking man with a shiny shaved head and a body the size of a Sumo wrestler, Cooper took up most of the doorway. As if that wouldn’t be intimidating enough to his visitor, he had his weapon drawn and ready to fire.

“Are you all right, sir?” Cooper asked.

Nick debated how much he should tell him and decided to keep things vague for a while. Later, he’d find out why it’d taken Cooper so long to respond to what could have been a dangerous breach of security.

“Ms. Manning and I were just chatting. Ms. Kelly Manning. It’s possible that she’s missed a dose of medication or something.” That earned him a scowl from her. “Or perhaps the caterer is simply one of her many employers. Do a preliminary background check on her immediately. We’ll be waiting here for your report.”

Cooper glanced at her with his dark suspicious eyes before his attention came back to Nick. “Yes, sir.” As Nick knew he would do, Cooper gave an efficient nod and disappeared, closing the door behind him.

If the threat of a background check bothered her, it didn’t show. She certainly didn’t cower in fear. She got to her feet and caught on to his arm.

“I want to see William,” she insisted. “Please.”

Even with the added please, he didn’t have to debate this particular issue. “Under no circumstance will I let you anywhere near him.”

Her grip tightened on his arm. “But I have to know if he looks like me. I have to know the truth.”

“The truth? And just what might that be? That you have some insane fantasy that he’s your son? Well, he’s not. Understand? He’s not.” He slung off her grip. “His mother was Meredith Beirce, my late friend, and she died the very evening she gave birth to him.”

“Yes, I know. On October eighth, at the Brighton Birthing Center just outside of San Antonio,” she said without hesitation.

Nick didn’t hesitate, either. “Anyone could have learned that from public records.”

“That’s not how I knew,” she insisted. “I met Meredith several times. We used the same obstetrician, and we went into labor on the same day. And, yes, I also know that she died at nine twenty-three p.m. of complications from a respiratory infection.” Nick shrugged. “If you think knowing that information will impress me, you’re dead wrong.”

“It wasn’t meant to impress you.”

Without warning, she caught on to the waist of her skirt and shoved it down to expose her stomach.

Her bare stomach.

And then she lowered it even more. He could see the top of her ruby-colored panties, the ones he’d felt when he searched her.

“See that?” she asked. “It’s a C-section scar. I gave birth to a son the morning of October eighth at the Brighton Birthing Center.”

Nick glanced at the scar in question. He’d never seen a C-section incision but didn’t doubt that was one. “It proves nothing other than you’ve had a child. A child. It doesn’t mean that child was William.”

She groaned and fixed her skirt. He almost thanked her for covering herself. For reasons he didn’t want to explore, his body reacted to hers in the most basic male way it could react. It was purely a lust thing. No doubt about it. But he didn’t even want lust playing into this.

He wanted no connection whatsoever with this woman.

She plowed both hands through the sides of her short choppy blond hair and took several harsh breaths. “If I weren’t on the receiving end of these thug tactics, it might please me to know that you’re going to such great lengths to take care of William. You’re making sure he isn’t kidnapped by someone out to earn a quick buck. But how about you just hear me out before you start tossing around any more accusations?”

He gestured for her to go ahead. But hopefully the scowl on his face would let her know that her explanation meant nothing.

“Thirteen months ago, on October eighth, I had a son, and four days later, I left the birthing center with the child I thought was mine.” Her bottom lip started to tremble, and tears glistened in her eyes. She quickly blinked them back. “This isn’t easy for me. I love my son, Joseph, more than life itself. And he’s all I have.”

He nodded. Nick could understand that. He felt the same way about William.

She returned his nod. “I’m not asking for sympathy, even though heaven knows I might need some before this over. Still, I don’t expect I’ll get it from you.” Rather than look at him, she stared at the mural behind him. “About a week ago, I got a visit from a woman named Collena Drake. She’s been going through files and records from an illegal adoption ring that the San Antonio police uncovered and stopped. Collena found a memo indicating that someone paid for two babies to be swapped at Brighton.”

Nick shrugged. “Why would anyone pay for something like that?”

She paused. Seemingly to steady her breath. But that pause didn’t do much to steady him.

Hell.

Nick didn’t like where she seemed to be going with this, but he reminded himself that she was almost certainly a liar.

“I have no idea why someone would want to switch babies, but I can’t dismiss that it happened. In fact, I have some proof that it did.”

“What proof?” he fired at her, feeling more and more uncomfortable with this whole conversation.

“My late husband and I had the same blood type,” she continued. She moistened her lips. “Joseph doesn’t. And before you ask—no, I didn’t cheat on my husband. In fact, he’s the only man I’ve ever had sex with.”

Nick had conditioned himself not to respond instinctively to anything, but this was testing the limits of his training. “And why would you think any of this would be of the slightest interest to me?”

Kelly Manning looked him straight in the eye. “Because it’s my guess that William and Joseph were the babies who were switched.”

After getting past the initial punch of shock, he gave that some thought, looking for a flaw in her theory, and he found one immediately. “There were probably dozens of babies born on that day.”

“Five boys,” she quickly furnished. “I’ve checked all of them. Either through blood type or ethnicity, I was able to rule them out. Except for William. He’s the last name on my list.”

It was a good attempt to get him to believe her. Very good. But it didn’t work. “If you suspected a baby switch, why didn’t you just go to the police?”

She flinched. Yet more of the proof that Nick was looking for. Well, maybe it was proof. If so, now he had to wonder why she was doing it. Money, maybe? Or maybe she really did work for his brother.

“Put yourself in my place,” Kelly Manning explained. “My husband, a police officer, was shot and killed when I was barely two weeks pregnant, and then I learned the child—our child—wasn’t really ours after all. I was afraid the police or social services would take Joseph from me until they could investigate what happened. So, I decided to try to get to the truth on my own.”

There was more to it. He’d bet his life on it, but Nick didn’t push it because frankly it didn’t matter. “If you carry this illogical speculation out to its equally illogical conclusion, then you’re saying that this baby, Joseph, is really Meredith’s biological son?”

“I think so, yes.” Her gaze snapped to his. “But she’s dead so she can’t take him away from me. And I checked—she has no living relatives. None. That’s why you agreed to raise William, right?”

Nick didn’t bother to answer that. It wasn’t any of this woman’s business that he’d felt an obligation to his former lover.

Kelly stared at him. “You don’t believe a word I’ve said, do you?”

“You’re a very perceptive woman. Which makes me wonder why you came here with this outlandish story in the first place. Did my brother, Eric, put you up to it?”

“No!” She repeated it, groaned and slapped her hand against the wall. “I don’t even know your brother. And I didn’t come here to kidnap a baby or do anything else that would harm him.” The outburst was short-lived, but it seemed to drain her. Her chin lowered a notch, and she turned away from him. “I just want to know the truth, all right? I want to know for certain if William is my son.”

He heard her breath shudder again. He heard the pain. And he saw her wipe the tear from her cheek. She was either a very good actress, or else…

Nick put a chokehold on that particular thought. He didn’t intend to give her any concessions until he had that background check from Cooper.

“All I’m asking for is a DNA test,” she said almost in a whisper. “A simple saliva swab.”

“That’s not going to happen. Not until I know more about you. And even then…”

Her sigh was long and weary. “Then just listen and do the math yourself. My late husband and I are both O negative. That means our child must be type O, as well. Notice the operative word there. Must.” She paused a moment. “Joseph is type B. B negative, to be exact.” Another pause. “So, this is more than a wild guess, but William has type O blood, doesn’t he?”

He did.

So did millions of people.

However, that wasn’t what sent Nick’s mind racing and his heart pounding. It was the added remark his visitor had tossed out there. The other child’s blood type.

B Negative.

Nick’s own rare blood type.

His mind continued to race until the possibilities crashed down on him like an avalanche.

If Meredith had lied to him. If his first instincts had been right after all. If she had indeed been pregnant with his child when she walked out and left him.

Then, maybe he had a son.

If that were true, then he would certainly come face-to-face with his worst nightmare.

Because any son of his would automatically be a target for murder.


Chapter Three

“Did you hear what I said?” Kelly asked.

Somewhere in the middle of her crucial explanation about blood types, Nick Lattimer had taken a mental hike. Sweet heaven, he was either totally heartless, or he didn’t have a clue what this was doing to her.

“I heard you.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his perfectly tailored tux and strolled to one of the bay windows that flanked the fireplace.

“Then you no doubt understood that Joseph can’t be my biological son.”

He made a sound that could have meant anything, and continued to stare out the window.

Because she had no choice, Kelly kept trying. “That’s why I need to do the DNA test on William.”

She felt the tears threaten again and forced them back. She wouldn’t cry. Not in front of him, anyway. Showing such weakness might make him go for her jugular, and right now she felt way too exposed.

“There have already been DNA tests done on William,” he let her know.

“Yes, but those were to prove that he isn’t your son. We need to do another one. A maternity study, they call it. So we can compare William’s DNA to mine.”

“And then what?” he fired back.

Kelly fully understood the implications of that simple question, and she didn’t like it any better than he apparently did. “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. But I can’t just forget what I’ve learned. I can’t walk away and pretend this never happened. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“I’ll bet you have.”

“So, we’re back to the sarcasm.” Kelly didn’t let it deter her. “Look, I don’t have all the answers, but this test is a start. We’ll get the results and go from there.” She waited a moment, hoping her voice would remain steady. “If there are any existing DNA samples for Meredith, I could have them compared to Joseph’s.”

“There are no samples. Meredith was cremated at her request and her ashes scattered on the grounds of her childhood home.”

Well, that was that. Another roadblock. Or else another stonewall attempt. Either way, it was a very hard place for her to get past.

But not an impossible one.

“Then, what about the biological father?” Kelly had to take a hard breath before she could continue. “Is there a chance he’d try to take Joseph if he finds out about him?”

She braced herself for whatever Nick Lattimer was about to tell her. It could easily be a bombshell that she wasn’t ready to have dropped on her. But he didn’t say a single word. He just kept his stiff back turned to her while he looked out the window.

Kelly groaned. “Look, this silent treatment is getting on my nerves. This might sound like a bad cliché, but I’m not even sure if I can handle the truth. Still, I have to know, all right? I can’t go on wondering if I have a son that I’ve never even met.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder. She thought she might have seen some sympathy in his eyes, a sliver of it anyway, but if so, he didn’t get a chance to voice it. There was a knock at the door. One sharp rap.

“Come in, Cooper,” Lattimer ordered, not even bothering to verify that’s who was at the door.

However, it was indeed the bald-headed giant who’d made an appearance earlier. He gave her a considering glance. And a distrustful one. The feeling was mutual. Kelly didn’t trust him either. Of course, that probably had something to do with the fact he worked for Nick Lattimer.

“I’ve got the preliminary background check,” Cooper told his boss.

“Read it.”

The bald guy gave her another glance. “Out loud, sir? With her in the room?”

“Read it,” Lattimer insisted, the impatience straining his voice.

Those repeated two words and the stark edginess were apparently enough for the man to spring into action. “Her name is Kelly Baker Manning. I confirmed it with the photo on file at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Age twenty-eight. No criminal record. Self-employed as a photographer—she does mainly weddings and birthday parties. Widowed. Spouse was Louis Manning, vice detective, San Antonio PD. Killed in the line of duty. She has a thirteen-month-old son, Joseph Louis Manning. I also have her address and phone number.”

All the information was correct. Kelly checked her watch. Less than ten minutes, it’d taken him to get her life story. Well, most of it anyway. In this case, the bare facts didn’t really tell what she’d been through.

Or what she was no doubt facing.

“She didn’t lie on her job application to the caterer,” Cooper went on. “Not that I can tell anyway. I’ll keep digging though.”

No surprise there. By morning, she’d be an open book to them. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe then Lattimer would believe some of what she’d told him and allow the DNA test.

Of course, maybe he’d have her arrested for trespassing.

“She asked the nanny about the baby and the location of the nursery,” Cooper explained further.

“I know,” Lattimer informed him. “And the nanny purposely gave her false information and then alerted me as she’d been instructed to do.”

That’s how Lattimer had known she was there in the fake nursery. So much for her plan. She’d underestimated him right from the start.

Cooper aimed a scowl at her. “Should I call the authorities or escort her off the ranch?”

“No. I’ll take care of the situation.” There was an unspoken adios and get-lost at the end of Lattimer’s remark, and Cooper obeyed without so much as batting an eyelash.

“Satisfied that I’m not some criminal?” she asked Lattimer the moment Cooper shut the door.

“No.”

Mercy. It was like banging her head against a wall.

Just when Kelly thought that things couldn’t possibly get any more frustrating, she felt the phone vibrate in her pocket.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Only then did she realize that Nick Lattimer was looking at her. And not just looking, either. Staring at her. The way he’d done when they first laid eyes on each other.

“That’ll be from my sitter.” She took out the phone just long enough to glance at the text message to verify that’s indeed who it was. “I told her to text me if Joseph woke up in the night. He did. He’s not used to me being gone, and I didn’t want him to be frightened.”

He stayed quiet a moment. “Do you need to go to him?”

“Not really. He’s not crying or anything, or she would have said. He should be all right.”

A muscle flickered in his sleek jaw. “Still, there’s no reason we have to work out all of this tonight. You should go home to him. I’ll have someone drive you.”

“That’s not necessary. My car is already here. Besides, I don’t want to be brushed off. I want to know—”

“I’ll consider your request for another DNA test for William, and I’ll inform you of my decision as soon as I’ve made one.”

The abrupt about-face along with her tangled nerves nearly caused Kelly’s legs to give way. “Why the change of heart?”

“Because you’ve caught my attention. Hopefully, you haven’t caught anyone else’s.” He didn’t add more regarding that ominous comment. “If I do consent to the test, I’d prefer to have a complete picture. Or as you so cleverly put—a start. That means you’ll allow me to have your son’s DNA tested, as well.”

It made her ache to think of someone, some stranger, out there who might have a legal claim on Joseph. However, she understood his request all too well, since she felt the same need to find out the truth about William. Blood wasn’t necessarily thicker than water, but she couldn’t deny the pull it had on her.

“Do you happen to know who Joseph’s biological father is?” Kelly asked, dreading the answer, but knowing that she needed it.

The muscles went to work again in his jaw. “No.”

She was either paranoid, or that was a lie. “Meredith and I talked a few times. She didn’t mention him, other than to say he wasn’t in the picture.”

“She didn’t talk about him to me, either,” he insisted, his voice tight.

So, unless the father was dead, he was out there somewhere. But what Kelly had going for her was that he hadn’t tried to claim William so far, and that meant he probably wouldn’t try to claim Joseph, either.

She prayed.

And that was one of the reasons she hadn’t wanted this baby switch in the hands of the police. Or the press. Newspapers tended to pick up that kind of story, and while she couldn’t keep Joseph’s biological father from seeing him, she truly hoped Meredith was right—that he wasn’t in the picture.

This way, Kelly could proceed with her plan. First, verify that William was her son. Then petition the court for custody of both boys.

Well, she could after she got past one more obstacle.

“You said you had no plans to adopt William.” She paused, and mentally wrestled with how she should say this. “Is that because you don’t want children?”

Nick Lattimer turned, faced her. Behind him, the rain and the wind assaulted the window. There was even a dramatic slash of lightning across the night sky. He stood in the center of the glass. Calm. Except for one thing. His right hand had clenched into a fist.

“You honestly don’t know about my brother?” he questioned.

Confused, she shook her head, not sure where this was leading. “I know you have one,” she said. Kelly tried to recall her research notes. She’d read a mention or two of his brother, but that was it. She couldn’t imagine what he had to do with any of this.

“Among other things, Eric is possessive,” he explained. He shoved his hands back into his pockets. “With things, not people. He inherited the bulk of the family estate, which, according to the terms of my mother’s will, he doesn’t have to share with me.”

Oh. She got it. Kelly quickly filled in the blanks. “But Eric would have to share with your heirs?”

He nodded. “Except he wouldn’t share. My brother is a violent, dangerous man.”

That sank in quickly, too. Kelly flattened her hand over her chest and dropped back a step. “Are you saying he would hurt a child of yours?”

Nick Lattimer walked closer, his footsteps punctuated with a roll of thunder. “Not hurt. Eric would eliminate the child.”

That sent her heart to her knees and stole her breath. “I’m sorry. So sorry. Now, I understand why you were concerned. You thought your brother sent me here to get the DNA sample.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time. But I thought that after three tests, one of which I let his personal physician perform, that Eric’s fears would be put to rest.”

It was a chilling revelation, but Kelly couldn’t help but think this would fuel her case to get custody of her son. Nick Lattimer might even welcome having William away from his brother’s paranoid watchful eye.

Kelly knew she would welcome it.

She didn’t want her son associated with a would-be killer, and as long as William remained at the Lattimer ranch, he would be in danger. It was sickening to think of it. She wouldn’t go through that again.

She couldn’t.

She hadn’t been able to save her husband, but she could certainly do something to save their child.

“May I see William?” Kelly had to clear her throat and repeat it so it would have sound.

Lattimer didn’t respond. Seconds passed. Very slowly. And even though there were no overt signs of the debate he was having with himself, Kelly knew there was indeed a debate. But after what he’d just told her, she could understand why. Maybe he still didn’t trust her. Maybe he thought she was working for his brother, Eric.

And maybe he simply realized that he could lose William to her.

After all, he’d raised William for thirteen months and no doubt loved him as she loved Joseph.

“A photo will do for now,” Kelly added. “If you agree to the test, well, maybe then…”

He hitched a shoulder toward the doorway where she’d first spotted him. “Follow me.”

She did, after Kelly got past the initial shock and after she got her legs to cooperate. Nick Lattimer had already given her a huge concession just by agreeing to think about doing the DNA test. She certainly hadn’t really expected him to allow her to see William.

The adjoining room was just as lavishly decorated as the fake nursery. A sitting room of sorts. With another fireplace, a pair of oversize cushiony chairs, and a great view of the formal gardens. It’d be an ideal place to spend some quiet time with a child.

All along, since the moment she’d known she would be coming to the ranch, Kelly had tried not to think of how her biological son was being raised. Literally, in the lap of luxury. There was no way she could compete with this.

Yet, even that certainty wasn’t enough to stop her from getting the truth. Or from getting custody. Because she could give William something that Nick Lattimer couldn’t. She could give him safety, away from Nick’s brother.

He pressed something on the underside of the mantel, and the serene pastoral painting above it disappeared. It’d been a hologram on a thin screen. A very convincing one. Another room appeared.

A nursery.

A real one.

Without saying a word, he pressed more buttons beneath that mantel so that a camera zoomed in on the crib. No blue-satin-trimmed blanket this time. The child was covered with a very homey-looking quilt. A mobile of colorful butterflies dangled overhead.

Kelly had tried to prepare herself in case this moment ever came, but there was nothing that could have prepared her for this. William lay there, sleeping. And thanks to the high quality of the surveillance camera, she could see him clearly.

She pressed her fingertips to her mouth to muffle the sound that was trying to make its way past her throat. He was, well, precious for lack of a better word. A round angelic face. Golden-blond hair that tended to curl. His lips were pursed slightly. He seemed healthy. And perfectly content.

That didn’t do a thing to lessen the guilt that was starting to roar through her.

The guilt went up a significant notch when she caught sight of Nick Lattimer’s expression. Definitely not the face of a heartless, callous businessman.

It was the expression of a loving father.

And it cut her to the bone.

Because she could factor in many elements. The fact that Joseph’s birth mother was dead. The fact that his biological father likely wouldn’t challenge her for custody. But Kelly couldn’t discount that Nick Lattimer loved this child as his own.

A child that was almost certainly hers.

That love for William was the ultimate obstacle that wouldn’t be easy to overcome. But she would.

Somehow.

Kelly was resolute about that. But that didn’t mean she was immune to that loving, fatherly look in Nick Lattimer’s eyes.

“I should go,” Kelly managed to say. Mercy. Now, she was really feeling guilty. “I need to get home to Joseph.” She didn’t wait for Lattimer’s response. She headed out the way they’d come in.

He followed her. Of course. And he caught her arm just before she made it to the door. “I don’t want you to say anything about this to anyone,” he insisted. “Understand?”

“Of course.” Probably because he didn’t want Joseph’s biological father or anyone else to get word of it before they could figure out what to do. And then there was the issue of Eric. She definitely didn’t want his creepy brother thinking there was a competing heir.

She stood there a moment. Their gazes connected. Those gunmetal eyes no longer seemed as lethal as they had minutes earlier. Even though she figured it was temporary. Lattimer hadn’t gotten his steely reputation by accident.

“Thank you,” she told him. “I think.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. Just slightly. And for only a split second. It wasn’t an expression of amusement but more of irony.

Since the moment quickly became awkward, she fluttered her hand toward the door. “I’ll just go.”

And she did. She hurried out of there before he could stop her. Kelly raced down the back staircase and grabbed her purse and keys from the kitchen. Thankfully, everyone was busy with the preparation for serving dessert, so no one said anything to her as she walked out.

The late-autumn rain pelted her as she hurried out of the house and to her car. She made it all the way off the ranch before the tears came. With them came the doubts and the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. With all his money and contacts, would Nick Lattimer fight her for custody even if she proved that William was her son?

Those questions repeated in her head, and Kelly began to think of all the things Lattimer could do to prevent her from assuming custody. However, even with the tears, the violent storm and the painful question, she didn’t miss the other car.

The black SUV appeared less than a minute after she drove through the massive wrought-iron gates that fronted Lattimer’s property. The vehicle stayed steady behind her on the country road. A safe distance away so that most people might not have noticed.

She noticed.

And it sent a deathly chill over her.

God, what had she done?


Chapter Four

Nick took the turn on Old Cypress Road, noted the parked dark-green car with the heavily tinted windows and let the bit of information he’d just learned sink in. Well, as much as information like that could sink in. Now the question was—was it relevant to Kelly Manning’s visit to the ranch?

“She was under psychiatric care at St. Mary’s Hospital a little over a year and a half ago,” Cooper added, his voice clear on the tiny speaker of Nick’s cell phone. “For severe depression. She was treated and released after just two days, but she still sees a therapist a couple of times a month.”

Nick moved those details around in his head, fitting them to the other facts he already had in place. “A year and a half ago. That was about the same time her husband was killed.”

“Yes. About a week after.”

“So, it’s reasonable that she might need professional care to get through something that traumatic. Especially since she was only a few weeks pregnant.”

“I suppose. But there’s the fact that it took me too many layers to find anything about this particular hospital stay. Someone buried her file, sir. Trust me, that’s not easy to do these days.”

Nick had no doubts about that. Especially since he had the resources to dig through layer after layer of anything that a person might want to hide. However, a brief stay in the mental ward of a hospital didn’t make Kelly Manning insane.

Nor did it exonerate her of anything.

She could still be a liar. An opportunist. Or a half dozen other unsavory things, including but not limited to Eric’s employee.

On the other hand, if she truly was an innocent party in all of this, then God help her. She’d just wandered into a viper’s nest.

And he was one of the very vipers that could end up getting her killed.

“Sir, I’m asking you to rethink this visit,” Nick heard Cooper say. “You shouldn’t go to see this woman alone.”

But that was the only way this visit would happen. It was too dangerous otherwise.

“I’ll be fine, Cooper. Besides, you have one of your men posted nearby.” It wasn’t a question. Nick had seen the security guard in the dark-green car and knew it was one of his vehicles and employees.

“I do. But he won’t be inside.”

“Nor do I want him there,” Nick insisted, making sure he got his point across. He appreciated Cooper’s concern, but this visit had to happen solo. The authoritative tone was a surefire way to make certain Cooper backed off.

Nick brought his car to a stop one block up from her house. He took his phone off the speaker function, got out of his car and, despite the crisp air from the cold front moving in, walked the rest of the way. Best not to announce to the world that he was there, by parking his car right in front of her house.

“Keep looking for more of Ms. Manning’s layers and whatever turns out to be beneath them,” Nick instructed Cooper. “If she’s hiding anything, or if you find even a remote connection to Eric, I want to know immediately.”

Nick ended the call and stopped in front of Kelly Manning’s house. It was an odd little place. Though it was still on the fringes of the city, it was almost like a fairy-tale cottage with its charcoal-gray-slate-tiled roof, pristine ivory exterior, pale yellow shutters and cobblestone walkway. There were now empty flower beds beneath the pair of front bay windows, but he imagined that in the spring those beds would be bursting with color.

The only thing missing was a white picket fence.

However, the picture wasn’t quite so pastoral to Nick. For one thing, the house was isolated on a huge lot choked with thick trees and shrubs. Securing it would be a nightmare. Yet it would have to be done.

And soon.

Nick checked his coat pocket to make sure William’s DNA sample was there. It was. He also had two other sterile buccal swabs enclosed in their equally sterile containers. One was for Kelly Manning. The other for Joseph. Even now, nearly thirty-six hours after her visit, Nick was still debating if he should give William’s DNA sample to her. A refusal might lessen the danger.

Maybe.

Or maybe it would just make her dig even harder to get to the truth.

Digging in this case wouldn’t be a good thing. If her search alerted Eric’s people, and it almost certainly would, then it’d be more than her life at stake. So, it was probably best to give her the sample and then monitor anyone who had access to the results. If worse came to worst, then he could always alter the tests to keep everyone safe.

Nick followed the cobblestone walk to the front porch. He paused a moment, to make sure he could pull off his famous iceman act, but the door opened before his pause had hardly started.

And there she was.

Kelly Manning was staring up at him through the clear glass storm door. “I’d just about decided that I’d have to make another visit to the ranch,” she greeted. She wiped her paint-splattered hands on an equally paint-splattered rag.

The comment was friendly enough, but he heard the nerves simmering right there beneath the surface. The wait had obviously put her through hell. Little did she know it’d done the same to him.

“Did I come at a bad time, Ms. Manning?” he asked.

“Well, that’s the polite thing to ask, but you and I both know there is no good time for this.” She held open the storm door. “Oh, and drop the Ms. Manning part. Kelly will do.”

“Nick,” he reciprocated.

Without the door between them, Nick could see what she was wearing. Faded, well-worn jeans that rode low on her hips and a snug little stretchy top the color of a chili pepper. It outlined her breasts. Of course, her breasts were the last things that Nick wanted to notice. He was going to have to ignore the fact that she was attractive.

Damn attractive.

It was the lust factor. It had to be. Why his body began to hum and simmer when he was around this woman, he didn’t know. He didn’t want to know, either. Nick just wanted it to stop.

“Come in.” She stepped aside so he could enter.

The place didn’t smell like paint, even though she’d obviously been working on an oil portrait just a couple of yards away from the door. Instead, he caught a whiff of baby powder.

And her.

Something distinctly female. Somehow, it was that unique scent that cut through everything and made its way to his nose. Nick reminded his nose not to get any bad ideas to pass on to the rest of his body.

He forced his attention away from her and looked around the simply furnished room. It evidentially did double duty as a living area and studio. It was clean, uncluttered and efficient. A lot like the woman who owned it. What was missing was the baby, Joseph. But there were two rooms just off to his left. One of them was probably the nursery.

She motioned for him to take a seat on the perky floral sofa. “Why did you think the guards were necessary?” she immediately asked.

Nick blinked. “Guards?”

She pointed to the window. “The one up the street who followed me home the other night. Either he or his partner has been sitting out there the entire time. They’ve changed off shifts and cars, of course, probably so they wouldn’t be so conspicuous. It didn’t work.”

This time he suppressed the blink. “The guards are just a precaution.”

“You know, you do that a lot—avoid answering very direct questions.” She dropped down into the chair across from him and tucked her feet beneath her. “If the guards are here to keep an eye on me, to see if I’m up to anything criminal, then they’re wasting their time and your money.”

“That’s one of the reasons they’re here,” he admitted. “But I was also concerned about your safety.”

“How admirable of you.” And she didn’t sound as if she meant it. “But my safety won’t be an issue once I prove that William is my son. Both he and I will be safe then.”

Nick wouldn’t bet on that.

Since this visit was getting more uncomfortable in just about every way possible, he held up the test kit with William’s DNA sample. It was clearly labeled to prevent a mix-up with the other kits.

She stared at it a moment before she tossed her paint rag on the lamp table and took it from him. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Yes.” Nick didn’t add more. He let her take the lead.

“Wow.” She flexed her eyebrows. “I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall when you finally made the decision to go through with this.”

“It would have been a very boring event to witness.” The battle had all been within. He could say the same about the particular battle he was fighting now. All within. Well, except for that blink.

“No gnashing of teeth?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Maybe some. But I figured this was the fastest way to disprove your allegation.”

“Ah, so you’re back to thinking I’m a liar. Of course, ‘disprove your allegation’ sounds so much more civil, doesn’t it?”

“I thought so,” Nick said, playing along with her sarcasm. He extracted the blank, sterile kits, as well. “One is for you. The other is for Joseph.”

She eyed the vials much as she’d eyed him at the ranch. As if they were deadly. In so many ways, they could be.

Kelly didn’t waste any time. She opened one kit and wiped the swab on the inside of her cheek. She placed it back in the vial and used a pen from the drawer to label it. “I’ll take a sample from Joseph as soon as he wakes up from his nap.”

So, the baby was there at the house. Nick didn’t know if that was good or bad. He’d prepared himself for either and knew no amount of mental preparation would help him for what he might face.

She carefully placed the test kits on the table. “I’m trying really hard not to be terrified of you, but I’m failing. You scare the heck out of me.”

Her honesty had a way of breaking down his defenses. Not good. He couldn’t allow that. “Terror isn’t always a bad thing. My reputation—”

“I didn’t mean your reputation as a ruthless, cutthroat businessman. I’m talking about Joseph.” Kelly moistened her lips and took in a quick breath. “Despite my need to learn the truth about the swap, I’m sick with fear over the possibility of losing Joseph.”

But that was all she said about what she was feeling. As far as she allowed the emotion to go. Another breath. Another moistening of her lips. Another flex of her eyebrows. And the display of emotions was over. She tucked them neatly away much as she did the stray blond lock of hair that she lifted off her cheek and slid behind her ear.

“So, what juicy things did the bald guy find out about me?” she asked.

Nick chose his answer carefully. “Cooper was thorough, as he always is.”

“You did it again. You evaded the question.”

She smiled. It was laced with nerves, but it still lit up her whole face. He felt another quick punch of lust. Fortunately for him, the smile faded as quickly as it’d come. Obviously, she too remembered there was little about their situation that warranted a smile.

“Let’s see. If he was thorough, as he always is, then you know I was raised by my aunt because my parents died when I was a kid,” she went on. “That wouldn’t have necessarily reinforced the concerns you have about my potential criminal tendencies. But the two-day stay in the psych ward would have given you a few troubled moments.”

Surprised by her stark honesty, Nick nodded. “A few.”

She leaned forward a little. “I don’t owe you this, but I’ll tell you, anyway. It happened. I could provide you with a lengthy recount of why, when and where, but I’m sure you already know the when and where parts.”

“And I guessed the why.”

“Yes, I’ll bet you did.” She paused and glanced at the vials. “You appear to be a smart man, and I don’t consider myself an idiot, so here goes. For one moment, assume that I’m not lying. That there was indeed a baby switch. What happens when we get the results from these tests?”

Nick was trying not to think of that nightmare.

“I’d prefer to wait for the results,” he insisted. “I think once we have those, there won’t be a decision to make. Because I don’t believe there was a switch.”

“But you’ve thought about it. A lot. I’m sure of that. So have I. If they confirm what I already know in my heart, I’ll ask for custody of William.” She snared his gaze. “But then, Joseph’s father could do the same for him. If his father is anywhere around, that is. Or if he even wants custody.”

That seemed like her attempt to get him to speculate or confess, but there was no way he could engage in that particular discussion. Thankfully, he didn’t have to put her off. The two sounds happened almost simultaneously. Nick’s phone rang, and the baby started to cry.

On a ragged sigh, she grabbed all three of the test kits and got out the chair. “I’ll be back.” And she disappeared into one of the other rooms.

Nick stood, as well, trying to get a glimpse of Joseph and her, but she pulled the door partly shut behind her. He answered his phone while he walked closer.

“What is it, Cooper?” he asked, knowing that was the only person who’d be calling him. Nick peered into the nursery and saw Kelly leaning over the crib. The baby stopped crying and began to babble instead.

The room was decorated with butterflies and birds. Bright primary colors. Kelly’s artwork, no doubt. During the background check, he’d learned that she wasn’t just a photographer but an artist, as well.

“I found a possible glitch,” Cooper informed him.

Hell. This wasn’t what he needed right now. “Go on.” Nick kept his voice as soft as possible so he wouldn’t alert Kelly. She took out the swab, mumbled something under her breath and then reached down toward the baby. Joseph made a protesting little sound and kicked at the covers.

“This one might be a real problem, sir,” Cooper continued. “There’s a P.I., a man named Denny Spencer. He was a close friend of Ms. Manning’s late husband, and I think he might have been the one who buried her psych records. Anyway, yesterday he was poking through the police files that were retrieved from the Brighton Birthing Center—the place where both William and Joseph were born.”

Nick watched as Kelly put the swab back into the sterile holder and laid it on the changing table. So, she’d gone through with it after all. There was no way she could know just how potentially critical, and dangerous, the DNA on that swab was. He needed to get it to a secure place as soon as possible.

“I don’t think this Denny Spencer’s made too many waves,” Cooper explained. “Yet. But I think we need to silence him with a payoff. Or else I could set up a few obstacles to keep him occupied elsewhere.”

“Neither.” Nick left the rest unsaid. If Spencer was a friend of Kelly’s, then it would only make the man more suspicious if someone tried to buy him off. “Put him under surveillance.”

Kelly murmured something to the baby. Something with a soft, rhythmic cadence. It seemed to settle Joseph because his babblings no longer seemed to be of protest. He appeared to be trying to mimic what she was saying. It was a familiar activity since William and he did the same thing.

“Keep me informed,” Nick told Cooper. He clicked off the phone in the middle of Cooper’s goodbye and slipped it back into his pocket.

“It’ll take me a couple of days to get back William’s DNA test,” Kelly whispered from the nursery, snaring Nick’s gaze from over her shoulder.

“You understand the need to keep all of this in the strictest confidence?” he asked.

“Of course.”

Her assurance wasn’t nearly enough. He’d take hers and Joseph’s DNA samples before he left, and a private lab, one that he controlled, would do both tests. As a further precaution, he was the only person who would get the real results. Any information after that would be filtered through him. It wasn’t an honest approach, but it could save Kelly Manning’s life.

He glanced in the nursery again. Kelly took a diaper from the stack next to the crib and started to change Joseph. Nick managed to get just a glimpse of the boy. But that glimpse had his imagination racing.

Dark hair. Not brown. But black.

Nick’s color.

Of course, plenty of babies had black hair.

Why couldn’t he put this out of his mind? There was only the possibility that Meredith had lied to him. A small possibility, since to the best of his knowledge she hadn’t lied to him about anything else. And she wouldn’t have taken on something like this by herself if—

“Heck, you might as well come in,” Kelly offered, interrupting his latest round of argument. “You’ve already given me a full body search, panties and all. Plus, I showed you my C-section scar. Seems a little late for modesty in the diapering department, doesn’t it?”

It seemed a little late for a lot of things.

He took a few steps closer and stood in the doorway, but Nick didn’t actually enter the room. It was best to keep some distance between them.

“You look shell-shocked. Did you get bad news from that phone call?” She looked away from him to continue diapering duty.

“Not really. Just a possible inconvenience.”

Kelly made a sound of contemplation. Paused. And made another sound. “Have you given any more thought to me seeing William?”

“No.” Not true. Nick had given it plenty of thought but decided it wasn’t going to happen. “I figured after the test results—”

“That I’d slink away, carrying my lies with me? Wrong. Because, you see, I’m not lying. And as much as you distrust me, I don’t trust you, either. You have the power and the money to doctor test results.”

He couldn’t possibly deny that because it was the truth. “You have the power and apparently the inclination to cause waves that shouldn’t be made.”

Her mouth went into a flat line. It was in contrast to the soft babbling sounds the baby was making. “I have a right to know if William is my son.”

“And I have the right to protect him.”

She huffed, finished diapering Joseph and turned to face him. “So we’re back to where we started. Don’t get me wrong, William’s safety is important to me, too. But I’m just not convinced there are real issues here. I mean, if you’ve proven he’s not your biological son, then why would he still be a threat to Eric?”

“Because as you so succinctly put, I have the power and the money to doctor test results.”

“Did you?” she fired back.

“No.”

Another huff but not an indignant one. This one was from frustration. “You know the truth, don’t you?”

Best to go for the sarcastic approach again since she seemed to be very good at detecting lies. “I know many truths. Did you have one particular in mind?”

“The truth. About Joseph. Now, I want you to cut through all these evasive tactics and tell me what you know.”

Nick stood there staring at her, but he couldn’t stop the idea from dominating his thoughts. Meredith and he had been lovers. The timing was right. Plus, Meredith would have known about the danger of giving birth to his child.

“I’m still waiting for an answer,” Kelly reminded him several moments later.

But he barely heard the reminder. Because at the exact moment she was speaking, the baby caught onto the crib railings and pulled himself to a standing position. He wore denim overalls and white cotton shirt. Joseph turned his head in Nick’s direction, and just like that, their gazes connected.

Nick’s breath froze in his lungs.

Joseph’s face was round. Almost chubby. And he grinned. Just grinned. Showing his dimples.

Nick had seen photos of himself as a baby. But he didn’t need the actual photo to know there was a strong resemblance.

“Meredith was your friend,” Kelly continued. She scooped up the baby in her arms. “So you must have some idea of who Joseph’s father is.”

Yes.

Unfortunately, that idea wasn’t a good one to voice. To anyone. Not even her. Just the hint of it would ultimately put all of them in danger. But it was especially dangerous for the child she held.

His child.

The heir he couldn’t have.


Chapter Five

“Well?” Kelly prompted her visitor. He’d done it again—Nick had gone to la-la land while she was waiting for an answer to one of the most important questions she would ever ask.

He blew off her question and headed for the kitchen. “I need a drink of water.”

Before she could follow him, Nick opened several cabinet doors, located a glass and helped himself to some tap water. He certainly looked as if he needed it, too. And was it her imagination that he looked a little shell-shocked? Kelly didn’t let that prevent her from pressing for an answer.

“Do you know who Joseph’s father is?” she asked.

Nick set his now empty glass on the counter and looked her straight in the eye. “No.”

She frowned. “That’s scary, you know that?”

“What?”

“Lying while maintaining direct eye contact. A lot of people wouldn’t be able to do it, yet you managed it with surprising ease.”

Now he frowned. “Who says I’m lying?”

“Me.” Kelly planted a kiss on Joseph’s cheek. “Meredith trusted you enough to raise her son. I can’t believe she wouldn’t tell you who the father is.”

“Perhaps I’m keeping a confidence that Meredith asked me to keep.”

Kelly nodded and shifted Joseph to her left hip. She went closer to Nick. “Yes. I thought of that, even though I can’t imagine why a dying woman would want to keep something like that a secret.”

“She had her reasons, I’m sure.”

That was all he apparently intended to offer. It was a clear signal that her mini-interrogation was over. Well, it was over as far as he was concerned. Kelly made sure Nick noticed her frown when she walked past him on the way to the pantry. Too bad she didn’t give him a wide enough berth. Her left breast grazed him. Hardly enough for her to notice.

But she noticed.

It sent a strange, unwanted curl of heat through her body, that she quickly pushed aside.

Figuring he had a new playmate, Joseph reached for their guest, specifically the buttons on his white shirt. Kelly managed to step away before Joseph could latch on.

Her visitor certainly wasn’t exactly dressed like a wrangling cowboy, though she knew for a fact that he was a real rancher. He wore a black suit. A suit that fitted his butt, thighs and chest extremely well.

And she hated that she’d allowed herself to notice something like that.

The suit wasn’t exactly stodgy, either. It was as expensive as they came and it had a GQ look to it. His white dress shirt was unbuttoned at the throat and upper chest, and he wore it as naturally and easily as he had his tux. She figured he’d be equally at home in his cowboy clothes and had a minifantasy about how he’d look in jeans.

Hot, no doubt.

Kelly mentally kicked herself. Jeans fantasies. Mercy, she was definitely not thinking straight.

Nick followed her to the pantry, carrying his undeniable presence with him. Why did the kitchen suddenly seem so small?

She took out a jar of toddler food, grabbed a spoon and bib and was about to put Joseph in his high chair when the phone rang. Cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder, she gave Joseph an adjustment on her hip. He didn’t seem to like that because he fussed.

“Kelly?” It was Denny Spencer, and just from that one-word greeting, she could tell that he didn’t sound pleased. “Is Nick Lattimer there?”

Only because she wasn’t up to an argument—and there would be an argument—she considered lying. But in all likelihood, Denny had already seen Nick’s car. Hence the reason for the call.

“He’s here,” Kelly verified.

She met Nick’s granite, blue-gray gaze when she answered. He lifted his eyebrow. A question, of sorts. Kelly ignored him and turned away. However, she couldn’t ignore Denny. He immediately started to curse.

“Have you lost your mind?” Denny demanded.

“I just want the truth,” Kelly reminded him.

“Well, you won’t get that from Nick Lattimer. He’s doing everything he can to stop you. And me,” Denny insisted.

Kelly was about to ask what he meant by that, but Joseph fussed even louder. She tried to slide off the high chair tray so she could get her son seated, but Joseph didn’t cooperate with that, either.

Nick came to the rescue.

As if he’d done it a thousand times, and maybe he had, he took off the tray, eased Joseph from her arms and deposited the baby onto the seat.

“Finish your call,” Nick insisted.

Kelly’s first instinct was to say no, but Nick just took over. He snatched up the bib, put it on Joseph and proceeded to feed him. She would have protested if he hadn’t been so darn good at what he was doing. And if Joseph hadn’t stopped fussing. Not only did he stop, her son began to wolf down the baby beef stew mixture, and he gave Nick the reward of a grin.

Only because she was watching the two so closely did she see the softness in Nick Lattimer’s eyes.

Yes, softness!

It was both surprising and a little frightening. Because that wasn’t the look of a care giver. It was the look of someone who genuinely loved children. She prayed that didn’t mean he would give her a custody fight to keep William.

“Did you hear me?” Denny snarled.

Actually, she hadn’t. “Could I call you back? Things are a little hectic right now.”

That earned her another raised eyebrow from Nick, probably because it was a lie. Joseph had settled nicely into his feeding and wasn’t fussing.

“No. You can’t call me back,” Denny countered. “You need to hear this, and when you do, I’ll come over there and throw Nick Lattimer out of your house.”

Since Denny was talking quite loudly and since she didn’t want Nick to overhear any part of this conversation, Kelly walked toward the nursery. She didn’t close the door because she wanted to keep an eye on her baby, but she did lower her voice to a whisper.

“What do I need to hear?” she asked.

“I’ve been investigating what went on at the Brighton Birthing Center, but suddenly everyone is stonewalling me. I can’t get access to the records, and no one is talking. One guess as to who’s responsible for that—Nick Lattimer.”

Kelly couldn’t deny it. Her visitor certainly had the power and resources for stonewalling. Better yet, he had a motive. He thought all of this digging for the truth would alert his brother, Eric. And that brought her to something that could put an end to any possible threat from Eric Lattimer.





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