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?
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.