was true. Connor looked enough like Justin to make those comparisons.
“Shh, Aunt Mattie loves Connor. He’s given her new life. We can’t...we can’t have this conversation right now. If you’re truly a friend of Brett’s you know how much he loved her. He wouldn’t want her getting hurt. And that’s exactly what would happen if you—”
Justin took the hint and spoke more quietly now. “I don’t plan on hurting Brett’s aunt. But if that boy is my son I have—”
“Please...” Her nerves raw, she glanced at the door again. “Don’t you get it? I’m not going to talk to you about this here.”
“We’re gonna have this conversation, Kat. Meet me at seven at my house at Sunset Ranch. It’s twenty miles west of here.”
Kat’s body shook. She couldn’t go to the Slade house. Showing up on Sunset Ranch would only complicate matters. And she wasn’t going to tell Justin why just now. “I can’t.”
A vein throbbed against the side of his throat, looking ready to burst. “Why not?”
“I’ll meet you somewhere else. Someplace neutral.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “I’m listening.”
“There’s a little café in Silver Springs called Blossom. Do you know it?”
“I’ll find it. I’ll meet you there at seven.”
“Eight. I have to put Connor to bed first. I read to him every night and we have a routine. He’s a pretty good sleeper. It’ll be easier on Aunt Mattie if he’s already in bed when I leave.”
Justin’s eyes softened at the mention of Connor’s sleep habits and for a second or two, she felt a sense of relief that her son’s daddy wasn’t lost to him forever. Then, Justin turned a sharp eye on her once again. “If you’re not there, I’ll come looking for you.”
Really? Did he think she’d run out on him? “I’ll be there. I want answers, too.”
“You’ll get them.” Dismissing her, he turned around and walked back to repair the flat.
Her heart beating like crazy, she walked into the house. Mattie was indeed dozing. Thank goodness. Little Connor took one look at his mommy, rose onto his knees and then hoisted himself up by the wall of the play yard. He stood on planted feet, holding on tight to keep his balance. His eyes sparkled with pride over his newest accomplishment and Kat beamed with love and that same sense of pride.
Your daddy is alive, Connor.
He’s also rich and powerful.
The implication made her dizzy. But Kat couldn’t think about all of that now. She had Mattie’s welfare to consider. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Matilda Applegate would suffer heart failure if she learned the truth about Connor. Kat couldn’t let that happen. Mattie didn’t deserve any more heartache in her life. There was a tipping point, and this was it. Kat would do everything in her power to protect her. With her flamboyant red hair, and sweetly feisty spirit, the older woman had touched something fierce and protective in Kat.
She picked up Connor from the play yard and hugged him to her chest, stroking his soft dark curls.
It was only minutes later, after she heard Justin drive off, that she could finally breathe evenly again.
Two
Justin ground his teeth together as he drove off the Applegate property. Shell-shocked wasn’t a strong enough term for what he was feeling right now. He’d come to spill his heart and guts out to Matilda about how Brett had died, and instead discovered he had a son—an adorable dark-haired, brown-eyed boy.
His son.
His mouth twisted. He had to be careful. He didn’t know anything for sure right now. The boy may or may not be his child.
But he did remember Kat. So many things about her. He remembered her beauty, her creamy skin, her pretty green eyes and the way she accepted him inside her body with tight, wet, welcoming heat. Though he’d spent the weekend with her, they only had one night of sex. That one night made up for the prior eight months he’d gone without. Once they got going, there was no stopping them. She’d had no boundaries, no fussy little complaints, no inhibitions when they were together. Her only rule was that she didn’t want any entanglements afterward.
She’d spelled it right out.
She didn’t want a relationship with a soldier or a farmer.
In other words, he was good enough to bed, but that’s where it would end.
Justin had gotten the message loud and clear and after leaving her without so much as exchanging phone numbers or addresses, he’d also understood better what Brett Applegate was up against with the fairer sex.
Eight o’clock couldn’t come fast enough for him.
He downed two more antacids and pushed the button to lower the windows. Damn that fool bet. Reversing roles hadn’t been one of his wisest moves, but now a child’s life was at stake. If Connor was his, then he would move heaven and earth to make up for lost time with his son.
Stepping on the gas pedal, he peeled down the road. During scorching hot summers in Afghanistan he’d picture himself whipping down the highway with the sun at his back and the cool wind blowing his hair in ten different directions. Like now. He’d daydreamed about coming home to Sunset Ranch and working alongside his brothers, too. He’d clung to those thoughts as he battled both enemy and unyielding climate.
Justin pulled into the parking lot of the Amber Pail, a hot spot for Douglas County locals and a place he probably should avoid. But it was early yet and he needed to kill some time and think without his family around. He climbed out of his truck, plopped his hat on his head and kept his sunglasses on. He strode toward the entrance to the bar and had nearly made it inside, when a man’s voice boomed out behind him.
“Justin Slade...tell me you’re not planning on drinking alone.”
Justin turned to find Sheriff Robbie Dunphy striding in his direction. Justin had gone to high school with the sheriff’s younger sister, Tiffany. “Hey, Robbie. How’s it going?”
Robbie strode up to face him on the sidewalk. He filled out his tan uniform, the buttons on his shirt ready to pop. He stood head to head with Justin, and as usual had a smile on his face. He hardly fit the bill for a stereotypical hard-nosed lawman. “I got no complaints. How about you? You acclimatin’ to being home again?”
“I’m getting there. Nine years is a long time to be away.”
“I got to thinkin’ you might just make a career of soldiering, with you getting the Congressional Medal of Honor and all.”
Justin clamped his teeth together. The medal was a source of pride to him but at the same time, it reminded him of his failures. He didn’t think of himself as a hero, but as a soldier who’d done his job. Brett’s death had hit him hard, and he’d decided when his last tour of duty was up that he was through with the military. “At one time, I thought the same thing. But looks like I’m home to stay now.”
“Well,
