Jim Sloan studied his notes, then turned to Matt. “I’m beginning to think this is personal, that this guy is out to intentionally ruin you and your reputation.”
Matt sat in the den and stared out the window at the roaring surf. He took a drink from his long-neck bottle of beer. He’d made an attempt to eat, but after Tara refused to stay he didn’t feel much like food. Not even Juanita’s enchiladas.
“Dammit. Why does everything have to be so complicated?”
“If you’re talking about a woman, it comes with the territory.”
Matt swung around to find Nick Malone standing in the doorway. “Nick.” Matt walked across the room to welcome his friend. They shook hands.
“Juanita let us in.” He held up a beer. “She’s even taken care of us with a selection from the bar.”
“Us?”
Nick’s wife, Cari, peeked in. “You guys talking about me?” she asked with a smile that lit up her bright blue eyes.
Matt smiled as the petite blond woman came over and hugged him. Dressed in jeans and an ivory sweater, she looked about sixteen.
“This is a pleasant surprise,” he said.
“Sure. Everyone loves people to just drop in,” she said.
Matt never minded the Malones dropping by. He’d always considered Nick and Cari close friends. Nick knew nearly everything about him, from his childhood to his disastrous relationship with his ex-fiancée. And Cari had worked for him at the hospital for a short while until she found Nick. Matt had watched the two fall in love, had even helped the relationship a little.
“What’s the occasion that’s brought you two out of the house without the kids?” Matt asked.
Nick took a drink of his beer, then said, “I thought my wife needed a night out. I kidnapped her for a quiet dinner at the Sandy Cove Restaurant down the road. But if we’d known Juanita was making her enchiladas, we would have come here instead.”
“You know you don’t need an invitation.”
“Even when you have a woman over?” Nick said as he came up behind his wife, slipped his arms around her waist and locked his fingers together. After being married for nearly five years, they still couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
Matt felt the heat rise in his face. “I take it Juanita just happened to mention Tara to you.”
“Well, not all the details,” Cari said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “I was hoping you would fill us in.” She held up her hand. “Or you can just tell us that it’s none of our business.”
Matt saw the eager look on Cari’s face and had to smile. He knew for certain that whatever he said to them would never go any further.
“Is this the same woman who’s accused you of being her niece’s father?” Nick asked.
Matt had no doubt that his friend would have told his wife the whole story. “Her name is Tara McNeal, and now thanks to Detective Warren, she finally believes that I never had an affair with her sister. This afternoon we met with Jim Sloan, the investigator I’ve had working on this case.”
“Could she help with any information?” Nick asked.
“Some. But it seems like the guy who’s doing this knows my every move. He was in Mexico seducing Briana McNeal when I was there teaching my surgical procedures.”
The Malones exchanged a look, then Cari spoke. “Maybe there’s someone who wants to cause you trouble.”
“I can’t imagine who,” Matt said, trying to think of anyone he’d alienated enough to want to destroy his life.
Nick and Cari sat on the edge of the sofa, and Cari looked up expectantly. “It’s hard to believe that someone fathered a child just to get back at you.”
Matt had to agree with her. “I think this guy just found it convenient to seduce a woman using my name.”
“Can we do anything?” Cari asked. “I could tell Tara all your good qualities.”
Nick stood. “No, Matt should stay clear of the woman and let his lawyer handle it.”
Matt didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to tell them that he’d already ignored his lawyer’s advice. “I can’t. Tara might be able to help me find the man impersonating me.”
“All this has got to be hard on her, too,” Cari said, “Especially after losing her sister so recently and now having the responsibility of a baby.”
A pain tore at Matt’s chest. No one ever thought about how this affected the child. “The baby isn’t mine.”
Cari smiled. “I know you would never walk away from your child, Matt. I take it you’re running a blood test?”
Matt nodded again. “Since we’re both O positive, my lawyer suggested a DNA test, just for insurance.” He sighed tiredly, thinking about the hospital administrator. “If Harry finds out he won’t be too happy about the news.”
“No, he won’t,” Cari agreed. “Especially with the hospital’s charity auction coming up in a month.” Surprisingly, she laughed. “It would be fun just to see his face when he heard about—”
“No!” Matt almost shouted. “I don’t want any of this to get out. It’s bad enough my credit is in a shambles. My career is too important to me.” It was the only thing he had in his life.
Nick stepped in. “Hey, you don’t have to worry about Harry and your job at Riverhaven. Hell, Dad’s money nearly built the heart wing, and I can just as easily stop any future donations.”
Cari patted her husband’s arm. “Don’t worry, honey, Harry isn’t going to do anything crazy. He needs Matt more than Matt needs him.”
Right now, Matt had more to worry about than his own skin. “We have to think about the innocent baby in all this. She’s the one who’ll be hurt. Damn this jerk for causing these problems.” And for causing him to long for something he could never have.
“Then just sit tight for awhile,” Nick said. “You’ll be cleared of everything. And your life can get back to normal.”
Matt didn’t know if he wanted his life normal again. The memory of Tara McNeal’s face wasn’t going to go away easily, nor was the thought of having a child. Forgetting them might take a lifetime.
It was nearly ten o’clock when Matt knocked on Tara’s motel room door. He knew it was late, but he couldn’t take the chance and wait until tomorrow. She could be gone by then.
“Who is it?” Her voice was muffled through the door.
“It’s Matt…Matt Landers.”
The door opened slightly, and Tara’s face appeared, her short hair mussed. She was wearing an oversize T-shirt. Damn, she’d been asleep. He blinked away the picture of her curled up in bed.
“May I come inside and talk to you?”
Tara opened the door, and he stepped inside.
The first thing he saw was the bed. The sheets were rumpled, and the pillow had an imprint where Tara had lain her head.
“I’m sorry I woke you.” He turned to look at her. A big mistake. Her T-shirt might have been oversize, but there was plenty of leg revealed. Long, gorgeous leg. “But I…I wanted to make sure I saw you before you left. I wanted to thank you for talking with Jim Sloan.” He glanced around nervously. “And I was hoping to give it one more shot and try to convince you to stay.”
Having Matt in her room made Tara nervous. She grabbed her cotton robe from the end of the bed and slipped it on. “I told you earlier, I can’t. It’s best that