Stork Alert (5 page)

Her quest for the truth could ultimately cost her Joseph.

And what about William?

Kelly couldn’t begin to deal with the idea of trading one child for another. All along she’d thought she would have both boys.

But Nick might not have the same idea.

The tears came. They burned hot in her eyes as the wind assaulted her face. But even through the tears, she saw the flicker of motion, and it grabbed her attention.

It came from the back of her property. From what was commonly called the greenbelt. The trees were thick there but not so thick that she didn’t see something that she didn’t want to see.

A man.

He was dressed all in black and had a ski mask covering his face. Kelly turned to run, but it was too late.

The man charged right at her.

N
ICK GROANED
and leaned his back against the door.

He wanted to kick himself where it hurt most. So much for his infamous iceman expression. He obviously hadn’t been icy when he looked at Joseph. No. He’d been all fire and emotion because he hadn’t been able to hide his fear that this precious little boy might be his son.

And now Kelly was suspicious.

At best, Kelly and he had a tenuous relationship. Neither trusted the other. This revelation was likely to cause her distrust to skyrocket. With reason. She was probably out there right now wondering if he was going to take the child she’d raised as her own.

Nick was wondering the same thing.

What the hell was he going to do?

It would have been so easy to blame Meredith for not telling him the truth and for somehow arranging for the babies to be switched. But he couldn’t do that. Because deep inside, Nick knew if she’d lied, then her lie hadn’t been one of deception but protection. If Eric had learned that Meredith had given birth to Nick’s heir, then the baby would have been assassinated.

Of course, Eric hadn’t known about the baby. Neither had Nick. If he had, he would have done everything humanly possible to stop his brother, so that Eric couldn’t get to the child. But Meredith hadn’t told him so that he could help her. Instead, she’d taken care of the situation herself.

His son was alive because of Meredith’s lie. Because she’d had the courage to give her child to another woman so his DNA wouldn’t be linked to the Lattimer line. But that lie had also involved Kelly and her son in all of this.

Nick groaned again, wished he had something to punch and whirled around to check on Kelly.

His heart slammed to the floor.

With Joseph gripped in her arms, Kelly was frantically running for the door. She wasn’t alone. There was a man in a ski mask chasing them.

Not one man, Nick quickly corrected.

But two.

He saw the second one race out from the side yard.

Nick did some racing, too. He reached in the back waist of his pants and pulled out a snub-nosed .38. He jerked open the door and headed out. He had to get there in time. He couldn’t watch Kelly and Joseph gunned down before his eyes.

“Help me,” Kelly shouted.

Nick did his best to do just that. He jumped off the porch, landing hard on the ground, and he quickly maneuvered himself between Kelly and the men.

“Get inside,” Nick ordered her.

She didn’t argue. He heard her barrel up the steps, but Nick kept his focus on the two men. The one who’d come from the side yard lifted his gun and took aim at Kelly.

Nick took aim, too. At the man. He was ready to kill if necessary, but the other man didn’t fire. He must have realized that he was about to be shot because he turned and started to run. So did his comrade.

So did Nick.

He raced toward the men, hoping to capture just one of them so he could beat some answers out of them. And the men were definitely fools if they’d decided to take him on.

Nick tackled the man, and they both went crashing to the ground. He was ready to slug the guy, but the sound stopped Nick cold.

Someone fired a shot.

Nick glanced up and spotted the other man. He’d taken aim not at Nick but at the house. Where Kelly and Joseph were still standing.

The anger raged through Nick, and he brought up his weapon so he could return fire. But it was too late. The man ducked behind some trees. Worse, Nick saw the movement out of the corner of his eye a split second before he felt his captive’s elbow slam into his jaw.

“Move and they die,” someone yelled. It was the man at the back of the yard.

Nick glanced at the house and saw Kelly and Joseph still on the porch. She was struggling to get the back door open.

Since the elbow shot had thrown off Nick’s aim and position and since he couldn’t risk Kelly and Joseph being shot, Nick froze. His captive didn’t. The man sprang to his feet and started to run toward his comrade.

Both men disappeared into the woods.

Nick wanted to run after them. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t leave Kelly and Joseph alone.

He hurried to the porch, and Kelly got the door open just as he joined her. Nick rushed her and the baby inside, locked the door and took out his cell phone.

“Are you hurt?” Nick asked.

She shook her head but didn’t say anything. With her breath coming out in rough, jagged gusts, Kelly just stared at him. So did Joseph. The little boy had shoved the jacket from his head, and he looked as if he didn’t know whether to smile or cry.

Nick checked the baby for any sign of injury and didn’t see any. Well, no visible signs, anyway. He silently cursed the men who’d put Joseph through this.

He called 911 and requested police assistance. He made a second call to the security guard he’d posted up the street. For all the good it’d done. But he wanted the guard here at the house in case the gunmen made a return visit.

“Those men wanted to kill us,” Kelly whispered.

Because she seemed on the verge of collapsing, Nick slid his arm around her and pulled her to him. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think they had murder on their minds.”

Blinking back tears, she looked up at him. “Then, what did they want?”

“I think this might have been a kidnapping attempt. If they’d wanted to kill you, they would have stayed in the cover of the trees and fired the shots.”

From that range, they wouldn’t have missed.

“And the one shot they did fire at you was well over your head. I think it went into the roof,” he added.

He watched her process that in the depth of her cool green eyes. She didn’t process it well. “You think they wanted information or something?”

Or something.

And Nick had a sickening feeling that the
something
was Joseph.

He looked down at her and didn’t pull any punches. “Those men could come back. Next time you might not be so lucky. This isn’t really a request, Kelly. You and Joseph are moving in with me at the ranch. And we’re leaving
now.
”

Kelly’s emotions were all over the place. On the one hand, going to Nick’s ranch wasn’t on the top of her list of fun things to do. But on the other hand, Joseph would be safe. And she’d be under the same roof as William.

She would finally get a chance to see him.

That outweighed the negative part about being Nick’s “houseguest.”

“This way,” Nick instructed leading her through the maze of hallways that made up the main ranch house. It was nearly eight thousand square feet of space, but it felt twice that size.

Kelly followed him, as she’d done since they’d left her house after the police had come and questioned them. She hoped she wasn’t making another mistake by blindly obeying Nick. And by coming to his ranch. However, no matter what she did, it was a risk, especially considering the chaos that’d come from her last visit here. She might be in danger of losing Joseph, and they might be in danger, period.

Someone had tried to kidnap them.

Or maybe worse.

It was that threat that had prompted Kelly to move in with Nick. But once she knew the truth about William and had a workable plan to get custody of him, she would take her sons and get out of there. Well, she would do that after she made arrangements for security, that is. The boys’ safety had to be her top priority.

“This is your suite,” Nick announced, throwing open a set of double doors.

While she kept a firm hold on Joseph, she walked inside. Kelly had expected luxury. After all, Nick was wealthy. But she hadn’t expected it to feel homey, and that’s exactly how the room was. Decorated in varying shades of blue, there was a fireplace and French doors that led to an enclosed glass patio. She had a perfect view of the sun setting on the garden.

“Joseph’s nursery is through there,” Nick said, pointing to the door on the other side of the room. “The nanny, Greta, is available to watch him anytime you need.”

“Yes. I met her the night of the party. She’s William’s nanny.” It wasn’t a question. It was a hint that she wanted to see her son.

“She is,” Nick verified. He deposited her suitcase in the massive walk-in closet.

Kelly waited until he’d finished that task before she caught his arm. So did Joseph. And he giggled when Nick smiled at him and goosed his belly. It was a tender, light moment at a time when her situation seemed pretty dark.

Since Nick hadn’t responded to her hint, she decided to go with the direct approach. “I want to see William,” Kelly said.

He didn’t answer her right away, but she could see the debate stirring his jaw muscles. “Later. Right now I have to make some calls. Get settled in, and I’ll be back to take you to the nursery.”

Kelly hadn’t thought she could get even more emotional, but that did it. She had to blink to fight back the tears, and her heart seemed to swell with the anticipation of finally being able to see her child. Not on a monitor this time.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Nick looked at Joseph, mumbled something under his breath and made a hasty exit.

Kelly welcomed the reprieve. She hadn’t had a moment to herself since the attempted kidnapping. Plus, she had her own phone call to make. She sat on the thickly carpeted floor so that Joseph could crawl around, and she took her phone from her diaper bag. She dialed Denny Spencer’s number.

He answered on the first ring and obviously saw her name on his caller ID. “Kelly, where the heck are you?”

She avoided answering that. “Someone tried to kidnap Joseph and me.”

“Yes, I know. When I went to your house, the police were still there, and I talked to them. They said you’d left with Nick Lattimer.”

Oops. Denny knew. So there wasn’t any way to avoid this. “I did. He saved our lives.”

Denny made a sound to indicate he didn’t believe that. “Are you sure he wasn’t the one who sent those gunmen after you?”

Kelly was more than a little surprised with that particular question. “Why would he do that?”

“To get you to trust him.”

“Again—why would he do that?” Kelly didn’t wait for an answer. “Look, I don’t trust him, Denny. Not completely. But I believe he’s capable of protecting Joseph. Right now that’s my main priority.”

“I can protect Joseph as well as he can,” Denny insisted. His insistence had a territorial ring to it. She was aware that Denny cared for her on much more than a professional level, but he was also aware that nothing personal could ever happen between them.

Kelly pulled in a deep, weary breath. “The ranch has security, Denny. We’ll be safe here until I can figure out what’s going on.”

“And you’ll get to see William,” he fired back. “That’s the real reason you’re there. Kelly, what if he’s not yours? What if all of this has been some dangerous wild-goose chase?”

She didn’t believe that. “That’s why I need the DNA tests done.”

“I know. I’ve already taken the glass and the swab with William’s DNA to the lab. I picked them up while I was at your house.”

“Oh, God. I can’t believe I left the swab there.” But then, she hadn’t exactly been thinking straight after the confrontation with those gunmen.

“I also took the lab some of Joseph’s hairs that I got from his brush,” Denny continued.

Kelly’s heart sank, and she put her hand on her chest to steady it. With Joseph’s DNA, the lab could compare it to Nick’s. And that could be a very bad thing. “The results have to stay confidential,” Kelly warned.

“They will. The lab tech is a friend and will put a rush on all three tests. You’ll get preliminary results in a day or two, but if you want something that’ll stand up in court, you’ll need to wait for a different set of tests.”

“The preliminary ones are fine for now,” Kelly insisted. She only hoped she could live with the consequences of what she’d already set into motion.

“You can thank me by getting away from Nick Lattimer,” Denny countered.

“Soon, Denny. I promise. Once I have the lab results, I can clear up a lot of things.”

And she could muddy the waters beyond belief, too. But she’d deal with that later. Right now she wanted to see William.

Kelly ended the call, picked up Joseph and went in search of either Nick or the nanny. Maybe she could see William. She didn’t find the nanny, but it didn’t take her long before she heard Nick’s voice. She followed the sound of it to the end of the hall and found him standing behind a massive desk in his office. He had his jacket slung over the back of the chair and had loosened another button on his shirt.

“I repeat—are you responsible for that kidnapping attempt?” she heard Nick demand.

That captured her full attention, and Kelly stopped just outside the door.

“Why would I want to kidnap her?” the caller responded. It was a man, and his cold hard voice came through over the speakerphone.

Kelly had no doubt that this was the infamous Eric.

“Don’t play games with me,” Nick warned. He bracketed his hands on his desk and learned closer to the phone. Every muscle in his body seemed primed and ready for a fight. “You have no reason to be interested in Kelly Manning.”

“Oh, but I do. I’m interested because you’re interested in her. I like to keep watch on you, little brother.”

That chilled her to the bone. Not just the sinister voice, but the implication. God, was he admitting to the kidnapping attempt?

Joseph babbled something and reached for the door frame. The sound must have alerted Nick because he looked up. Caught her gaze. The tension was there, all over his face.

“Kelly Manning and I are having an affair,” Nick lied. “It’s just sex between us. Nothing more. And we have no plans to produce an heir. So you don’t have any reason to feel threatened by her.”

“Threatened?” Eric apparently took that as the ultimate insult. “Hardly. I’m simply cautious.”

“You’re paranoid,” Nick countered. “Honestly, Eric, get a life. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

“With Kelly Manning,” he concluded. “Well, she’s attractive—I’ll give her that. How’s she in bed? She doesn’t look like the missionary type. I’ll bet she’s a biter and a scratcher.”

“That’s none of your damn business.” She saw his knuckles turn white from the pressure he was exerting against the desk. “Eric, if you do anything to harm either Kelly or her son, then you’re a dead man. That’s not a threat, either. It’s a guarantee. I’ll come after you with everything I have.”

Eric laughed, but Kelly could hear no humor in it. “What about the promise you made to our dying mother not to do me any harm?”

“It’s a promise I’ll break if you come near them.”

Another humorless laugh. “Have a good evening, Nick.” And Eric hung up.

Nick pressed the end call button. “I told him we were having an affair so it would explain why we’re spending time together. Maybe it’ll stop him from doing anything else stupid.”

Kelly walked closer to him. “So, you think he tried to kidnap us?”

“He’s the only person with motive.”

Yes. She couldn’t dispute that. “Would you really kill him?”

But an answer wasn’t necessary. Nick would do it. For Joseph and her, even though they were practically strangers. That realization blended with the attraction she already felt for him. Whatever this weird feeling was, it couldn’t get stronger. She’d already learned the hard way not to get involved with a dangerous man.

And Nick was as dangerous as they came.

Joseph began to squirm to get down, and Kelly soon spotted the source of his interest. He was reaching for the shiny silver picture frame on Nick’s desk. Except it wasn’t a frame she soon realized. It was a small video monitoring screen.

Of the nursery.

To get a better look, Kelly moved closer. So close that she was practically touching Nick. Joseph apparently liked the closeness. He reached out and began to examine Nick’s white rolled-up shirtsleeve. Kelly gave Joseph a kiss on the cheek and watched the screen.

She soon saw the nanny cross the room. And she was carrying William in her arms. The little boy was wearing pale-blue pants and a matching top.

Kelly’s breath stalled in her throat.

She latched on to that image, committing every small detail to memory. William’s blond hair. The shape of his face. His mouth that was bent into a smile.

Everything inside her screamed that this was her son.

“I just had my security manager send the DNA in for testing,” she heard Nick say.

Kelly didn’t tell him that Denny had done the same. Soon they would all know the truth. In the meantime, her heart was aching to get a better look at the little boy on the screen.

Joseph continued to squirm, but the monitor no longer held his attention. It was Nick that he wanted. Her son reached for the man, but Kelly stepped away to put some distance between them. She only wished she could add some emotional distance, as well.

“I want to see William,” Kelly requested.

She expected Nick to stonewall her again. In fact, she braced herself to hear an unequivocal no.

That didn’t happen.

“Follow me,” Nick said.

But that wasn’t all he did.

Joseph reached for him again, and this time Nick closed the distance between them and reached right back. He took the baby out of her arms before Kelly even realized what was happening.

“This way,” Nick instructed.

Carrying Joseph in his arms, Nick walked out of his office and down the hall. Kelly followed. Somehow. Though just watching him hold Joseph put her heart into a tailspin.

N
ICK FIGURED
this was a mistake, but it was one that he couldn’t avoid making. Kelly wasn’t just going to give up the idea of seeing William.

And Nick wasn’t sure he had the right to deny her.

Things were moving fast. Too fast. And with the danger from Eric hanging over them like the Sword of Damocles, he had a lot on his mind. But first and foremost were the two boys. If Joseph was indeed his son, that meant Kelly was likely William’s biological mother. It cut his heart in two to know that he could lose the boy to Kelly. But it cut just as deeply that he might have a son he could never claim.

Hell, what a tangled web Meredith had spun if she’d indeed arranged a baby switch. Of course, Nick couldn’t blame her if she had. If their situations had been reversed, he might have done the same. In fact, he would do anything to protect the son he’d come to love as his own and the son who might indeed be his.

Joseph seemed perfectly content in his arms and was babbling things to him as they trekked down the hall. Occasionally the boy’s attention would land on a painting, and he’d purse his mouth into an “ohhh” and point at it.

Nick couldn’t resist. When they stopped outside the nursery doors, he kissed the boy on his forehead.

Kelly saw him, and she was probably aware that she frowned. Nick figured there’d be a lot more frowns and groans before they got to the truth. And even after. He didn’t have a clue how they were going to resolve this.

“One step at a time,” he heard Kelly say.

“For what?” he asked, wondering if she’d read his mind or if she was giving herself advice.

But she only shook her head and frowned again.

Nick opened the doors to the nursery. He took a deep breath. And he waited to see what Kelly would do. He didn’t have to wait long.

The nanny, Greta, was in her rocking chair, and William was on the floor playing with his toys. Kelly walked toward him. Cautiously. And she stooped down so that she’d be at his level. William eyed her warily and looked to Nick for some kind of assurance that this stranger was okay.

“Hey, buddy,” Nick said to William. That earned him a beaming smile, and William began to pound the floor with the stuffed dog that he had clutched in his hand.

“Da-da,” William said.

Joseph must have listened and learned because he quickly repeated it:

“Da-da.”

Nick required another deep breath after hearing that. So did Kelly. In fact, she turned pale and sank down on the floor next to William. Tears sprang to her eyes. The nanny must have sensed something important was going on because she excused herself and closed the door behind her.

Still babbling “Da-da,” Joseph squirmed to get out of Nick’s arms. Nick deposited him on the floor, and Joseph toddled toward his new found playmate and the stash of toys.