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instead of dealing with problems head-on. His attitude was so infuriating, she said the first thing that popped into her head.
“Guilt, probably. You didn’t want to be involved and hoped the problem would go away on its own.” And that was totally unfair. Wasn’t it? She had no idea why he hadn’t contacted anyone. This new version of Kyle was unsettling because she didn’t know him that well anymore.
Really, she wasn’t that good at reading people in the first place. It was a professional weakness that she hated, but couldn’t seem to fix. Once upon a time, she’d thought this man was her forever after, her Prince Charming, Clark Gable and Dr. McDreamy all rolled into one. Which was totally false. She’d bought heavily into that lie, so how could she trust her own judgment? She couldn’t. That’s why she had to be so methodical in her approach to casework, because she couldn’t afford to let emotion rule her decisions. Or afford to make a mistake, not when the future of a child was at stake.
And she wouldn’t do either here. Maddie and Maggie deserved a loving home with a family who paid attention to their every need. Kyle Wade was not the right man for that, no matter what he said he wanted.
“Well, then,” he said easily. “Guess that answers your question.”
It so did not. She still didn’t know why he’d come home now, why he’d suddenly shown an interest in his daughters. Whether he could possibly convince her he planned to stick around—if he was even serious about that. Kyle had a habit of running away from his problems, after all.
First and foremost, how could she assess whether the time-hardened man before her could ever provide the loving, nurturing environment two fragile little girls needed?
But she’d let it slide for now. There was plenty of time to work through all of that, since Maddie and Maggie were still legally in the care of Liam and Hadley.
“I think I have enough for now. I’ll file my first report and send you a copy when it’s approved.” She had to get out of here. Before she broke down under the emotional onslaught of everything.
“That’s it, huh? What’s the report going to say?”
“It’s going to say that you’ve expressed an interest in retaining your parental rights and that I’ve advised you that I can’t approve that until I do several more site visits.”
He cocked his head, evaluating her coolly. “How long is that going to take?”
“Until I’m satisfied with your fitness as a parent. Or until I decide you’re unfit. At which point I’ll make recommendations as to what I believe is the best home for those precious girls. I will likely recommend they stay with Liam and Hadley.”
Without warning, Kyle was on his feet, an intense vibe rippling down his powerful body. She’d have sworn he hadn’t moved, and then all of a sudden, there he was, staring down at her with a sharpness about him, as if he’d homed in on her and her alone. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.
It was precisely the kind of focus she’d craved once. But not now. Not like this.
“Why would you give my kids to my brother?” he asked, his voice dangerously low.
“Well, the most obvious reason is because he and Hadley want them. They’ve already looked into adoption. But also because they know the babies’ needs and have already been providing the best place for the girls.”
“You are not taking away my daughters,” he said succinctly. “Why does this feel personal?”
She blinked. “This is the opposite of personal, Kyle. My job is to be the picture of impartiality. Our history has nothing to do with this.”
“I was starting to wonder if you recalled that we had a history,” he drawled slowly, loading the words with meaning.
The intensity rolling from him heightened a notch, and she shivered as he perused her as if he’d found the last morsel of chocolate in the pantry—and he was starving. All at once, she had a feeling they were both remembering the sweet fire of first love. They might have been young, but what they’d lacked in experience, they made up for in enthusiasm. Their relationship had hit some high notes that she’d prefer not to be remembering right this minute. Not with the man who’d made her body sing a scant few feet away.
“I haven’t forgotten one day of our relationship.” Why did her voice sound so breathless?
“Even the last one?” he murmured, and his voice skittered down her spine with teeth she wasn’t expecting.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Confused as to why warning sirens were going off in her head, she stared at the spot where the inverted tray ceiling seams came together. “We broke up. You didn’t notice. Then you joined the military and eventually came home. Here we are.”
“Oh, I noticed, Grace.” The honeyed quality of his tone drew her gaze to his and the green fire there blazed with heat she didn’t know what to do with. “I think we can both agree that what happened between us ten years ago was a mistake. Never to be repeated. We’ll let bygones be bygones and you’ll figure out a way to make this pesky custody issue go away. Deal?”
A mistake. Bygones. Her heart stung as it absorbed the words that confirmed she hadn’t meant that much to him. Breaking up with him hadn’t fazed him the way she’d hoped. The daring ploy she’d staged to get his attention—by letting him catch her with Liam, a notorious womanizer—hadn’t worked, either, because he hadn’t really cared whether she messed around with his brother. The whole ruse had been for naught.
Stricken, she stared at him, unable to look away, unable to quell the turmoil inside at Kyle being close enough to touch and yet so very far away. They’d broken up ten years ago because he’d never seemed all that into their relationship. Hadn’t enough time passed for her to get over it already?
“Sure. Bygones,” she repeated, because that was all she could get out.
She escaped with the hasty promise that she’d send him a set schedule of home visits and drove away from Wade Ranch as fast as she dared. But she feared it would never be fast enough to catch up with her impartiality—it had scampered down the road far too quickly and she had a feeling she wasn’t going to recover it. Her emotions were fully engaged in this case and she’d have to work extra hard to shut them down. So she could do the best thing for everyone. Including herself.
* * *
Kyle watched Grace drive away through the window and uncurled his fists before he punched a wall. Maybe he’d punch Liam instead.
He owed his brother one, after all, and it sure looked as though Liam was determined to be yet another roadblock in a series of roadblocks standing between Kyle and fatherhood. Most of the problems couldn’t be resolved easily. But Liam wanting Kyle’s kids? That was one thing that Kyle could do something about.
So he went looking for him.
Wade land surrounded the main house to the tune of about ten thousand acres. There was a time when a scouting mission like this one would have been no sweat, but with a messed-up leg, the trek winded Kyle about fifteen minutes in. Which sucked. It was tough to be sidelined, tough to reconcile no longer being in top physical condition. Tough to keep it all inside.
Kyle found Liam in the horse barn, which was situated a good half mile away from the main house. Barn was too simplistic a term to describe the grandiose building with a flagstone pathway to the entrance, fussy landscaping and a show arena on the far end. The ranch offices and a fancy lounge were tucked inside, but he didn’t bother to gawk. His leg hurt and the walk wasn’t far enough to burn off the mad Kyle had generated while talking to Grace.
Who was somehow even more beautiful than he recalled. How was that possible when he’d already put her on a pedestal in his mind as the ideal? How would any other woman ever compare? None could. And the lady herself still got him way too hot and bothered with a coy glance. It was enough to drive a man insane. She’d screwed him up so bad, he couldn’t do anything