Atonement. B.J. Daniels
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father.
How foolish she had been. The man had let everyone believe he was dead. He’d lied about more than she could have imagined. Now all she wanted was for Ethan to sign the form giving away his rights. The last thing she wanted was him coming in and out of their lives and bringing his troubles with him.
“I’m sorry.”
She met Dillon’s blue gaze and wondered why she hadn’t seen it before. They might be identical twins, but where Ethan had tried to be gentle and caring, Dillon just was.
“What I really want is for him to sign the form. He didn’t want this baby. I don’t want him showing up years from now and trying to lay claim to my daughter.”
“You’re having a girl?” His voice broke. He cleared his throat. “I’m going to have a niece?” He smiled as she nodded, and she felt her heart lift at the joy she saw in his expression. She’d so wanted her daughter to have family, especially since she herself had grown up without any.
“I’ll see what I can find out about Ethan,” Dillon said, suddenly looking uneasy. “In the meantime, I would imagine you’ll be going back to California. I’ll let you know when I find him.”
Tessa shook her head. “I didn’t come all this way to give up that easily. If Ethan is alive, I’m finding him—with or without your help.”
* * *
“I DON’T THINK that’s a good idea, Tessa. Not only are you pregnant—when are you due?”
“Three weeks.”
“Very pregnant, and not trained for this sort of thing, and we have no idea what kind of trouble my brother is running from.” Even as Dillon said the words, he saw the stubborn lift of her chin. Determination burned in her blue gaze.
“You said you hadn’t seen him in two years,” she argued. “I, on the other hand, have firsthand knowledge of your brother during the past year. Between the two of us, we stand a better chance of finding him if we work together than alone.”
He studied her for a moment, remembering the .45 in her shoulder bag. He didn’t doubt that she could take care of herself under normal circumstances. But these weren’t normal. Whatever his brother was running from, it must be something big if it had forced him to fake his own death.
“You have to think about yourself and your baby,” he said. “If I’m right, my brother was involved in something bad. This could get dangerous.”
She crossed her arms on top of her stomach and stared him down. “Then I have already put myself and my baby in danger by finding you, haven’t I?”
Dillon worried she might be right about that. “Still—”
“You don’t owe me anything. You can wash your hands of me right now. But I will find Ethan. As hard as he tried, he left me somewhat of a trail. You are only one of my leads.”
“Leads you aren’t going to share unless we do this together.”
She smiled.
He considered the woman. From the moment he’d laid eyes on her, there had been something in her demeanor that had gotten to him. Her story had been preposterous, and yet... And yet he hadn’t been able to let it go.
He’d thought she was trying to con him when they’d first met. The lawman in him reminded him that he might be falling for the worst con of all, because he desperately wanted Tessa to be carrying Ethan’s baby—and she would know that.
He recalled how Sheriff Frank Curry had never opened the DNA test that had been run on the girl claiming to be his daughter, Tiffany Chandler. Frank had said he didn’t need to. Tiffany was his daughter.
Dillon knew Frank wanted to believe Tiffany was his daughter. Just as Dillon wanted to believe this woman had known his brother and was now carrying his child.
“You still aren’t sure about me,” she said as if reading his thoughts.
Did he believe she was carrying Ethan’s baby or did he only want to believe it? He thought of the photograph that Ethan had left behind and how he’d used their mother’s maiden name.
“I believe you knew my brother, and if you’re telling the truth...” His gaze went to her stomach. He saw something move across the surface. Before he could react, Tessa took his hand and placed it on her swollen belly.
His eyes widened as the baby kicked his hand. He felt its little foot just below the surface. The movement awakened some primitive emotion deep inside him, because he felt an instant connection to this child she was carrying. Ethan’s baby.
Tessa smiled. “That’s your niece.”
He nodded, praying she was telling the truth, because it would mean Ethan was alive—or at least had been only months ago—and part of his brother lived in this woman. Being his brother’s identical twin, Dillon felt as if he was part of this child, as well.
If what she said was true, Tessa had been close to his brother, something he himself hadn’t been for years. If true, she, too, had loved Ethan. No doubt still did. Because of that, he couldn’t let her go after Ethan alone. The only way he could protect her and this baby was to keep her close. If it was true, she might know more about his brother than he did. Between them, they might stand a chance of finding Ethan—if he really was alive.
He couldn’t help being skeptical. It came with the job. He met Tessa’s gaze. His brother was alive. But where was he now? And how was Dillon going to find him? Ethan hadn’t used his real name when he’d met Tessa. That must mean someone had been looking for him.
“I’ll see what I can find out through regular channels,” Dillon said. “In the meantime, I don’t want you staying in a motel.” Before she could argue, he quickly added, “Come stay out at the ranch. I have plenty of room. You’ll be more comfortable there.”
“And you can keep an eye on me.”
“And vice versa.”
She pretended surprise. “Did you think I might suspect you’d go after Ethan without me?”
He smiled. “In the meantime, I want you to have this.” He began to fill out a check for five thousand dollars.
“I already told you—”
“It’s just a loan until we find Ethan and he can pay you back what he owes.” He held out the check.
She glanced at him and the check for a moment before taking it. “A loan. Only until we find Ethan.”
Part of him called himself a damned fool. He could be five thousand dollars poorer tomorrow—if she didn’t steal him blind at the house before disappearing as quickly as she’d appeared in his life.
But once he’d felt that tiny foot against his palm, Tessa Winters had had him.
* * *
THE FIRST THING Dillon did was check to see if anyone had disappeared around the time of Ethan’s alleged death in the desert. He found what he was looking for in a short police report about a wrangler who’d been reported missing from a dude ranch near Palm Springs. The man had left behind his truck and some of his belongings.
There was just the one mention of the missing man. No follow-up. The man’s name was Buck Morgan. His former address, though, was Wisdom, Montana.
Dillon had a bad feeling the man was now buried in the local cemetery under Ethan’s headstone. He remembered the day he’d laid his brother to rest. There hadn’t been a funeral. No one in the area knew Ethan, and Dillon wouldn’t have taken his brother’s remains back to western Montana. Too many bad memories there for both brothers.
Had Ethan been watching the day Dillon had placed the ashes in the container at the grave site? That thought made him both angry and incredibly sad—and even more determined to find his brother, if indeed he was still alive.
The