“Those men wanted to kill us.”
Because Kelly 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 the 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 and the babies, they would have stayed in the cover of the trees and fired the shots.”
“You think they wanted information?”
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.”
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Kelly Manning – She’s shocked to learn that someone switched her newborn son with another child. Kelly’s investigation leads her to successful rancher Nick Lattimer, who’s been raising her child.
Nick Lattimer – Joining forces with Kelly Manning was the last thing he expected. Can he keep Kelly and the babies safe?
Joseph – The son Kelly has raised since birth. Even though they don’t share the same DNA, he’s her child.
William – The baby Nick loves as his own. He’s not willing to give up William to Kelly, even if she is his biological mother.
Eric Lattimer – Nick’s ruthless brother who’ll do anything, including commit murder, to make sure he doesn’t have to share his inheritance with Nick’s heirs.
Cooper Morris – The head of security at Nick’s ranch.
Todd Burgess – A Justice Department agent who’s trying to gather enough evidence to have Eric arrested.
Denny Russell – Kelly’s PI friend who Nick immediately distrusts. Denny is keeping some dark secrets about his past.
Paula Barker – She’s on the Justice Department task force that’s trying to stop Eric, but does she have her own agenda?
Rosalinda McMillan – Eric’s former secretary who claims she’ll do anything to bring Eric to justice.
Collena Drake – The troubled former cop who now devotes her life to finding out what happened in the Brighton Birthing Centre where the babies were switched.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Imagine a family tree that includes Texas cowboys, Choctaw and Cherokee Indians, a Louisiana pirate and a Scottish rebel who battled side by side with William Wallace. With ancestors like that, it’s easy to understand why Texas author and former air force captain Delores Fossen feels as if she was genetically predisposed to writing romances. Along the way to fulfilling her DNA destiny, Delores married an air force top gun who just happens to be of Viking descent. With all those romantic bases covered, she doesn’t have to look too far for inspiration.
Whose Baby?
DELORES FOSSEN
To Minette. This one’s for you.
Chapter One
Bexar County, Texas
Kelly Manning checked to make sure no one was following her. No one was. She was alone in the dimly lit hallway.
So far, so good.
Too bad her pounding heart and racing breath didn’t quite grasp that she was close to succeeding. A minute, maybe less, and she’d have what she needed and would be away from Nick Lattimer’s ranch.
Of course, this could be just the beginning. Not exactly a comforting thought, but she would cross that bridge if she came to it. However, it was impossible to push aside the thought that the next few minutes could change her life forever.
She eased open the door to the nursery and ducked inside. The nanny was in the kitchen indulging in a late-night snack, so other than the baby, the suite would be empty. Timing was indeed everything. If any of the half-dozen or so “security guards” and household staff caught her, they would no doubt alert their boss.
Definitely not good.
Kelly hurried across the room to the crib. The baby was there. Sleeping. He was tucked beneath a blue satin-rimmed blanket. All she could see of him was the mop of blondish-brown hair, but with just that bit of visual info, she had to fight to hold on to her breath. Now wasn’t the time to let her emotions get in the way of what she had to do.
With her hands trembling, she reached for the small vial she’d hidden in her bra. But reaching for it was as far as she got.
“Mind telling me what you’re doing here?” she heard someone ask.
The sound shot through her entire body, and Kelly gasped. She didn’t recognize the voice, but she had no doubt that it belonged to Nick Lattimer, the lord of the massive Texas ranch she was trespassing on. And he was the last person on earth she wanted to come face-to-face with tonight.
Heaven help her.
Dreading what she would see, Kelly angled her eyes in the direction of his voice. He was in the shadows, his shoulder resting against the doorjamb of the adjoining room. His head was slightly tilted to the side. Studying her. He wore a tux and a formidable take-no-prisoners expression.
“I was looking for the ladies’ room,” she managed to say. She’d practiced it enough that thankfully her voice didn’t crack.
He pushed away from the doorjamb, a slick effortless move, and he started toward her. A pair of delicate angel night-lights illuminated his way. Ironic, since there was nothing angelic or delicate about him.
His midnight-black hair fell long and fashionably untamed against his neck. Dark, brooding eyes. Chiseled jaw. High cheekbones that hinted of Native American blood. He was handsome by anyone’s standards.
Including hers, much to her disgust.
But his looks didn’t make him less dangerous. From all accounts, he was an ends-justifies-the-means sort of man. Any means.
“The caterer and party staff were instructed to use the downstairs facilities,” he informed her.
Kelly nodded. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t know that.” She turned to walk away.
Nick Lattimer shifted to the side and blocked her exit. He didn’t stop there. He blocked her a second time when she tried to go around him. Then he circled her. Slowly. Like a hungry jungle cat stalking his prey.
Outside the window, lightning stabbed across the sky, quickly followed by thunder. The November storm only added to the menacing energy simmering around him.
“I wasn’t joking about having to go to the ladies’ room.” Kelly tried to keep her tone light. She failed. Her heart was beating so hard and fast that she thought her ribs might crack.
He was behind her when she heard the whisper-soft sound. She might not have even known what it was. But she was a cop’s widow.
It was a gun.
Oh, mercy.
It’d been a serious mistake coming here, but it was too late to turn back.
She got a good look at the weapon as he finished circling her and came to a standstill directly in front of her. Yes, it was definitely a gun. An expensive, high-powered Glock. Not an amateur’s weapon of choice. It was too much to hope that he didn’t know how to use it.