Using Kelly’s arm, William pulled himself to a standing position and walked the rest of the way toward Joseph. The boys were nearly the same height and weight. Both could obviously walk and say a few words. But that’s where the similarities ended. William had curly blond hair and blue-green eyes. Joseph’s black locks were board-straight and on the wild side, and he had the Lattimer intensity down pat.
Kelly caught on to William’s hand and tried to encourage him to go into her arms, but William wanted no part of that. Even though it went against what his heart wanted him to do, Nick eased down on the floor with the three of them. He caught William and turned him in Kelly’s direction.
She slid her arms around William and pulled him to her.
Her green eyes weren’t just tear filled. The tears began to stream down her cheeks. Joseph got in on the action. He snuggled into Kelly’s arms, too, and soon she held both boys.
“Thank you,” she mumbled. And Nick realized she was talking to him.
The boys quickly grew tired of the hugging and broke away so they could play with a stack of wooden blocks. Kelly and Nick sat there and watched. Well, he watched until he realized that Kelly’s tears weren’t going to stop anytime soon. He scooted next to her, took out his handkerchief and handed it to her.
“William looks like me,” she said. Her teary gaze met his. “And don’t you dare deny it.”
He couldn’t, even though he wanted to.
She didn’t say a word about Joseph looking like him.
“I didn’t think I’d feel this way,” she continued. “I’ve lost thirteen months with him, and it hurts so much that I don’t think I can stand it.”
Nick had no trouble understanding that.
“What are we going to do?” she asked.
“We’re going to learn the truth.”
Kelly shook her head. “And then what?”
Nick didn’t know. Other than trying to protect all of them, he had no idea what they were about to face.
“Greta, the nanny, will help you get settled in,” Nick instructed. He stood. “Get some rest. We’ll talk about this in the morning.”
He only hoped by then he had some answers that could keep them all alive.
Nick downed his third cup of black coffee and hoped the caffeine would kick in soon. He had a wicked headache from lack of sleep, and he needed all the help he could get to feel alert and awake.
Sitting at his desk, he finalized the purchase of a prize Santa Gertrudis bull, signed some payroll checks and then got to work on what was really important.
Beefing up security.
He left an e-memo for Cooper to add more cameras and motion detectors to the perimeter of the ranch. It wouldn’t be foolproof, but he had to do something to make sure that nothing happened to Kelly and Joseph. That kidnapping attempt had shaken her to the core, and he couldn’t have a repeat of that.
He glanced at the monitor when he saw some movement on the screen, and he spotted Kelly and Greta with the babies. They’d probably just finished bathing and feeding them. Kelly kissed both Joseph and William, she said something to Greta, and she left the room.
Nick did some adjustments to the camera and watched her walk up the hall toward his office. She’d obviously showered and dressed. She wore black pants and a green top. A snug top that made him notice her breasts.
Of course, everything she wore caused him to notice her breasts and her other interesting features. In the few hours he’d managed to sleep, he’d dreamed about her. During his waking hours, he’d thought about her, too. A lot.
“Come in,” Nick told her when she knocked on his door. He switched the camera back to the nursery. Best not to let Kelly see that he’d been watching her.
Looking a little unsure of herself, Kelly stepped inside. Nick saw it then. The fatigue. Specifically, the dark smudgy shadows beneath her eyes. She obviously hadn’t slept much, either.
He motioned toward the coffee carafe on his desk, and she helped herself to a cup. “Thanks. I had some at breakfast, but I could sure use some more.”
And she downed several gulps but didn’t say anything else. Still, it was obvious that she had something on her mind, or she wouldn’t have left the babies to come to his office.
“Is something wrong?” Nick finally asked.
“Dreams,” she said peering at him from over the rim of the coffee cup. “Well, nightmares, anyway. I keep reliving the kidnapping attempt.”
“That’s natural, I suppose.” God knows, he’d relived it.
“I also kept thinking about what we’re going to do. We don’t really have a plan other than to wait and see. And with what happened yesterday, it feels as if we need a lot more than that.”
Because he was a man accustomed to solving problems, he nearly offered the obvious—
I’ll take care of everything.
But they had no choice but to wait and pray that the danger was something they could handle. He certainly couldn’t promise her that all would be well.
She walked closer and looked down at him. Despite the sleep-starved eyes, she was alert and obviously had something else on her mind. “Whatever the DNA results say, you won’t just give William up, will you?”
“No.” Nick didn’t even have to think about it. William was his son, even if they didn’t share the same DNA.
Kelly nodded, and she set her cup back onto the serving tray. Her hand and her bottom lip were trembling. Nick wasn’t immune to it, either. This situation was breaking her heart. And his.
Knowing it was a mistake and not caring, Nick stood, eased his arm around her and pulled her to him.
Kelly froze and looked at him. “You’re not going to frisk me again, are you?”
Nick couldn’t help it. He smiled. “No.” But unfortunately, the closeness automatically gave him ideas about her that he shouldn’t have.
She stared at him, blinking back tears. Nick stared at her, too. In fact, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. She was attractive. Beautiful, even. And his reaction to her seemed to be growing by leaps and bounds.
He reached in his pocket, offered her another handkerchief. and Kelly used it to blot away the tears. “This is a little too cozy for comfort.”
“I agree.” He started to move away from her, but she settled against him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It felt natural.
But wrong. Any kind of emotional entanglement could complicate the heck out of things.
“Part of me says I shouldn’t trust you,” she whispered. “The other part of me is thankful that you’re here to protect Joseph and William.”
Oh, yeah. They were definitely on the same page.
He looked down at her just as she looked up at him. Something happened.
A stir of energy.
A change in heart rates and breathing patterns. That look was more potent than a heavyweight’s fist, and his body quickly reminded him that he was a man. And that Kelly was a woman.
Nick wanted to kiss her. And suddenly that seemed just as important as his next breath.
Kelly didn’t look away. Nick had no idea why he couldn’t veto the really stupid thoughts that his body was suggesting that he do.
She lifted her head. He lowered his. And he brushed her mouth with his. It was just a touch. Barely a kiss. But it caused a massive reaction. She jerked away from him and slapped her palm against his chest.
“I can’t,” she said.
Nick welcomed those words. They were like music to his ears. Because he should have said it, as well. Thankfully, she’d done it for him.
She crammed her hands in the pockets of her pants. “I’m attracted to you,” she admitted. Then, she shook her head as if disgusted with herself.
He considered lying, but after that semikiss, the truth was way too obvious. “I’m attracted to you, too.”
Kelly paused a moment. “I had a bad marriage.
Really
bad. In fact, the last thing I said to my husband were words shouted in anger.” She groaned. “And I have no idea why I just told you that because that has nothing to do with anything happening here.”
“You told me because of this weird intimacy between us,” Nick explained. “It’s the danger. The adrenaline and the fear make strange bedfellows.”
He mentally winced at his choice of words, but it caused her to smile. Only, it faded as quickly as it’d come. Nick hated that, because it had made him feel good just to be on the receiving end of a smile like that.
“We have a difficult road ahead of us. It’s probably best if we stay…as neutral as possible toward each other,” she said.
True. But Nick knew that was impossible. Already the barriers were breaking down.
“You have visitors,” Cooper informed him over the intercom. “Paula Barker and Todd Burgess. They’re waiting for you in the solarium.”
Nick huffed and finished off his cup of coffee. He’d need the final jolt of caffeine for this particular meeting.
“Are they cops?” Kelly asked.
“No.” But Nick had to see them. If they’d come to the ranch, then it had to be important. Hell. He didn’t need anything else on his plate.
Kelly caught his arm when he started to leave. “I don’t know how to sugarcoat this, so I’m just going to come out and ask you for the truth. Do you believe that you’re Joseph’s biological father?”
Nick didn’t have a quick answer for that. Yes, he believed he was, but there was no way he was going to admit it. Not to her. Not to anyone.
There was another slight crackle of sound, and Nick heard Cooper’s voice again over the intercom. “Sir?”
“I’m on the way to the solarium now,” Nick informed him. He headed for the door.
“You have another visitor,” Cooper said.
That stopped Nick in his tracks. “Who?”
“Your brother, Eric. He’s here on the front porch, and he’s demanding to see you now.”
K
ELLY HURRIED
out of Nick’s office and caught up with him while he was practically storming down the hall. “Does your brother come here often?” she asked.
“Never.”
Well, that didn’t do much to steady her suddenly raw nerves. It also didn’t help when Nick checked the gun he had tucked in a slide holster in the back of his jeans.
“I don’t want you to be around when I talk to Eric,” Nick insisted.
Kelly considered his order, mainly because hiding would be the easy and safe thing to do. But Eric was the man who likely tried to kidnap Joseph and her. She didn’t want to hide; she wanted to confront him.
Cooper was waiting at the front door. He had his gun drawn, and he gave her a questioning glance.
“I have a right to be here,” Kelly told him. “This involves me.”
Nick stopped so abruptly that she nearly ran right into him, and he turned and took her by the shoulders. She could tell that he was about to launch into an argument as to why she shouldn’t come face-to-face with Eric. But Kelly gave her own argument before he could.
“I can reassure Eric that I have no plans to produce your heir, and I can convince him to leave Joseph and me alone.” She hoped. Kelly wasn’t certain she could convince the man of anything, but she wanted the chance to confront him.
“I’m not leaving,” she added. “Not when there’s this much at stake.”
Nick obviously didn’t care about her argument. He moved her into the adjacent sitting room. “Eric’s capable of murder,” was all Nick said. He also motioned for Cooper to join her so they could make sure that she stayed put.
Kelly did, sort of. She maneuvered herself to Cooper’s other side so she could see their visitor’s reflection in the mirror of the rosewood umbrella stand in the foyer. Nick opened the door, and Kelly realized she had a perfect view of the man who might be trying to terrorize her.
He certainly didn’t look like a killer.
In fact, he looked like Nick.
No one would doubt they were brothers. They had the same midnight-black hair. The same strongly angled jaw. The same olive-toned skin. But that’s where the similarities ended. Eric’s eyes were cold, as was his expression, and he was at least twenty pounds thinner than Nick. There was also the attire. Nick was all cowboy today in his jeans, white shirt and boots. Eric was wearing a dark-navy suit with a scarlet-red tie.
“What do you want?” Nick demanded.
Eric took a puff from his thin brown cigar. “You know, you should work on your social skills. Most people issue a polite greeting before they launch into a verbal attack.”
“This isn’t a social call. What do you want?” Nick repeated. But he didn’t just repeat it. His voice lowered to a dangerous snarl.
“To have a morning chat with my little brother.” Eric came closer and put out his arm as if to shove his way past Nick. That didn’t happen. Nick held his ground and blocked him from entering.
“You can say whatever you came to say while standing on the porch,” Nick insisted. “Because you’re not coming inside.”
With his cigar clutched in his fingers, Eric made a vague motion behind him. “It’s November, and it’s cold out here.”
“Then talk fast.”
The corner of Eric’s mouth hitched. “I came to meet your lover.”
Nick stiffened. “She’s not available.”
But as if he’d known all along that she was there, Eric casually took another drag of his cigar and snared her gaze in the mirror. Yes, she’d been right about his eyes. They were pure ice and evil. Kelly didn’t let that coldness put her off, even though she had to dodge Cooper’s efforts when he tried to grab her.
“You have something to say to me, Mr. Lattimer?” Kelly challenged.
Nick didn’t let her get too close. Huffing and mumbling at her, he stepped in front of her, practically blocking her view of Eric.
“So, Nick’s moved you in here with him,” Eric commented. “It’s a mistake, you know.”
Kelly met his venomous gaze and slipped her arm around Nick’s waist. It seemed a good time to give Eric a show of affection to substantiate their claim of being lovers.
“You came here to warn her about me?” Nick interrupted before she could say anything. “You’ve wasted your time. And ours.”
Eric blocked the door with his foot when Nick tried to shut it. “I came here to try to figure out what’s going on.”
Nick stared at his brother’s foot for a moment before he lifted his head and glared at the man. “Nothing is going on that concerns you.”
Eric narrowed his eyes. Gone was the cocky, calm demeanor, and he became tense. “I’m not so certain of that.”
“Your paranoia’s showing again,” Nick informed him.
The intensity skyrocketed. Eric pulled back his shoulders, and his nostrils actually flared. “You’re the one who threatened to kill me. Now I want to know what’s so damn important that would put you on the defensive.”
“When it comes to you, I’m always on the defensive, Eric. You’re just too self-absorbed to notice.” With that, Nick kicked his brother’s foot away, but Eric caught the door anyway, holding it open.
Eric looked directly into her eyes when he spoke. “If you two are keeping secrets from me, you’ll regret it. My estate is worth well over a hundred million dollars. I’m not going to share that with anyone, especially with the likes of you.”
“Is that a threat?” Kelly asked.
But Eric didn’t get a chance to confirm it. Nick came out on the porch. Not slowly, either. He stormed out of the house, and grasped the lapels of Eric’s black Italian coat. Nick slammed him against the exterior brick wall. The impact was so forceful that Eric sputtered out a cough and dropped his cigar.
Nick’s maneuver had two armed men springing from the limo parked in front of the ranch house.
Nick ignored the hired guns and got right in Eric’s face. “Don’t make me kill you.”
Despite the cough and the obviously ruffled composure, Eric smiled. “You won’t. There are the promises we made to our mother not to do harm to one another—”
“A promise you would have already broken if you knew you could get away with murder,” Nick interrupted.
“There is that,” Eric conceded. “But then, the right opportunity hasn’t arisen, yet. Murder isn’t really murder if the police can’t link your death back to me.” He lowered his voice. “You know how this has to end, Nick. One of us will have to kill the other. Cain and Abel. Except I won’t be the one to die.”
“No one has to die if you stay away from me and the people important to me.” And with that, Nick let go of his brother’s jacket and aimed a warning glare at the men who were about to step onto his porch.