paper with obvious reluctance. The front page was folded in two. He opened it slowly, regretting that he had even his mother and sister as his audience.
The sight of Laurie, all done up in her fancy, rhinestone-studded cowgirl stage costume, brought his pulse skidding to a halt. No matter how many times he saw her picture, he never got over the wonder of her beautyâthe thick chestnut-colored hair, the dare-you curve of her smile, the sparkle in her eyes. Despite the fancy getup, there was no artifice about her. She didnât need a lot of makeup to enhance what nature had given her.
Heâd pretty much stopped looking at these rags, because the sight of her always had the same effect and he figured sooner or later it was going to turn deadly. How many times could a manâs heart grind to a halt before it stopped pumping altogether?
This time, though, the photographer hadnât done her justice. There was no glint in her eyes, no smile on her lips. Heâd caught her in an instant of stunned disbelief, one hand held up, futilely trying to block the lens, while she turned to try to shield the baby in her arms.
Sheâd been too slow. The baby was in perfect focus, round faced, smiling, with a halo of soft brown curls and blue, blue eyes sparkling with pure devilment. Adams eyes, Harlan Patrick thought at once, unmistakably Adams eyes. There was a whole mantle full of baby pictures just like this up at Grandpa Harlanâs. He was surprised his mother and Sharon Lynn hadnât guessed the truthâbut then they hadnât known about that last meetingâthe one where he lost his head and made love to her one last time.
This time it wasnât love or even lust that kicked his pulse into overdrive. It was fury. The suspicion that had been nagging at him from the moment heâd heard his mother and Sharon Lynn talking was all but confirmed. Laurie Jensen had had his baby and kept it from him. Betrayal cut through him like a lance. He was surprised he wasnât bleeding from the wound.
In less than an instant, fury was replaced by icy resolve. He whirled around and without a word went out the way heâd come in, slamming the door behind him, the tabloid crushed in his hand.
âOh, my God,â Sharon Lynn murmured. âDid you see his face?â
âI saw,â his mother said, racing out the door after him. âHarlan Patrick, get back here!â
He ignored the command and headed straight for his pickup. A half hour later he was at the airstrip with Uncle Jordanâs corporate jet fired up and waiting for him.
He was going after Laurie Jensen and his baby and when he found them, there was going to be hell to pay.
Chapter Two
Laurie had been heartsick ever since her manager had shown her the tabloid a week after that fateful night outside a Kansas concert hall. From that moment on she had prayed over and over that Harlan Patrick would never see it. Whether he recognized the baby as his or not, the picture was going to break his heart. Sheâd vowed the last time sheâd seen him not to ever do anything to hurt him again. As it was, sheâd broken his heart more times than she could count.
Sheâd tried to prepare for the possibility that her prayers wouldnât be heard. Sheâd warned everyone in her agentâs office that her schedule was not to be given to anyone, no matter what name they gave, no matter what ruse they used. She had described Harlan Patrick to Nickâs secretary from his thick, sun-streaked hair, to his laser blue eyes and angled cheekbones.
âAnd you donât want this man to find you?â the woman had said incredulously. âAre you nuts?â
âThere are those whoâd say I am,â she agreed. âAnd, Ruby, let me know the instant he shows up, okay? I need to know what kind of mood heâs in.â
âFit to be tied would be my guess,â Ruby said bluntly. âCanât say I blame him, either. Itâs a hell of a way to find out youâre a daddy.â
âRuby,â Laurie protested.
âOkay, okay, Iâm just the hired help around here. You donât want the man to find you, Iâll make sure the man doesnât find you, at least not with any help from me. Just donât forget, honey, youâre the kind of woman who tends to make news, especially in this business. Entertainment Tonightâs scheduled to shoot that club date in Montana. Itâs way too late to back out. Nick would have a cow. He worked like crazy to get it set up.â
âIt wonât matter. By the time it airs, Iâll be on the road again. With any sort of luck at all, Harlan Patrick will be one step behind me.â
âMaybe you ought to slow down and let him catch up,â Ruby suggested one more time. âHave it out and get it over with. Hidingâs no good, not in your profession. This was bound to happen sooner or later. And, forgive me for saying it, but that little girl of yours has a right to know her daddy. This plan of yours to keep âem apart seems a tad selfish to me.â
Laurie winced. Ruby was young, but she had terrific common sense and a mile-wide streak of decency. A part of Laurie wanted to follow her advice, but another part wasnât at all sure she could cope with one more battle with Harlan Patrick, not with the stakes as high as they were.
âI know,â Laurie conceded. âBut I canât deal with him yet. I just canât. Youâll see what I mean if he shows up there. Itâs like trying to talk sense with a bulldozer thatâs rattling toward you in first gear.â
Of course, she consoled herself, there was always the outside chance that Harlan Patrick had never even seen the tabloid. Maybe he hadnât been anywhere near a supermarket checkout stand. Maybe the entire shipment to Los Piños had been lost in transit. Maybe the delivery truck had caught fire. Maybeâ¦
Dammit, she had to know. She had to find out if heâd seen it and what his reaction had been. She had to be prepared, in case he was coming after her. For all of her attempts to cover her tracks, she knew Ruby was right. If Harlan Patrick wanted to find her badly enough, he could. Ruby and Nick could only stall him for so long. Any private eye worth his license could pinpoint her location quicker than that photographer had snapped her picture. The only real question was whether Harlan Patrick was furious enough to come chasing after her or so hurt heâd written her off once and for all. If heâd recognized that baby as his, she was pretty sure which it would be. Heâd be mowing down any obstacle in his path to get to her.
She could call her mother, but her mom almost never crossed paths with Harlan Patrickâs family. She could call Sharon Lynn, but after this last visit, Harlan Patrickâs protective older sister had all but written her off. Sharon Lynn had told her more than once that she was a selfish fool for running off and leaving the best man in the whole state of Texas pining after her. His parents had never echoed the same sentiments in so many words, but they clearly hadnât been her biggest fans. When sheâd come back this last time, theyâd regarded her with suspicion at worst, caution at best. The attitude had hurt, because once theyâd considered her another daughter.
That left his grandfather. Harlan Adams was a wise man, a fair man. Heâd protect his family with his dying breath, but he also had the ability to see that there was more than one side to most stories. Heâd always treated Laurie with kindness, and thereâd been no judgment in
