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
