LITMIR.BIZ

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it against his cheek. “It was complicated.”

      “Try me.”

      Feeling like an outsider in a personal, family discussion, Daniel moved toward the door. “I’ll just leave you two alone.”

      “No,” Patrick said at the same time Shelby said, “Please.”

      A knock on the door had all three of them changing focus.

      Before anyone could respond, the door slowly opened and a nurse peeked in. “Hi, I’m Lucy. Is Shelby up?” She smiled across the room. “Oh, thank goodness, you’re awake.” Still, she hesitated. “Are you up to receiving a few visitors? There are people out here who want to meet you.”

      Shelby shot a glance at Daniel, her eyes wide, her fingers gripping the sheets.

      Her grandfather patted her hands. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

      “No.” She sat up straighter. “I want to meet the woman who wanted nothing to do with you.”

      “Uh, okay. I’ll let them know.” Lucy popped back out into the hallway, the door shutting behind her.

      “Now, Shelby, be nice,” Patrick warned. “What happened forty years ago is in the past.”

      “Yeah, but what kind of woman throws away her own child? And to think, I used to admire Kate Winston.” Shelby crossed her arms over her chest, some color returning to her pale cheeks.

      Daniel knew he should leave, but his protective instinct kicked in. Having four Winstons in the same small room at one time was overwhelming, even for a healthy person. Their egos and their combined charisma could be intimidating.

      Lucy opened the door and stood to the side, holding the door wide as Kate and her three sons entered.

      As Daniel expected, the three towering men filled the room with their broad shoulders.

      Kate walked forward, tiny in comparison. She wore a light gray skirt suit and a pale pink blouse, appearing every bit the poised politician. But when her gaze fell on Shelby, her eyes filled. “Oh, my God. I could be looking at myself as a young woman.” Tears slid silently down her cheeks. “All this time, I didn’t know.”

      “If I’d had any doubts before, I don’t now. She looks just like you.” One of the men with dark brown hair and eyes the same color as his mother’s and Shelby’s pulled Kate into the crook of his arm. “Shelby, this is your grandmother, Kathleen Winston. Most people call her Kate.” He walked with Kate to the other side of the bed from where Patrick stood holding Shelby’s hand.

      Shelby held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Winston.”

      Kate ignored the hand and engulfed Shelby in a hug. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

      The stricken look in Shelby’s eyes made Daniel move forward. “Perhaps we should give Ms. O’Hara some room to breathe. This is a lot for her to take in.”

      Shelby muttered a soft, “Thank you.” She brushed moisture from her eyes and sniffed.

      Kate straightened, tugging at the hem of her suit jacket. “This is Trey,” she said, her voice shaking. “He’s the oldest of my sons—your uncles.” Kate laughed. “I’m sorry, this is all surreal to me.” Her voice caught on a sob.

      “You’re telling me.” Shelby held out a hand to the first of the men. “Nice to meet you.”

      Another one of the men stepped forward. “Hi, I’m Samuel, but you can call me Sam.”

      “Sam.” Shelby took his hand. “You’re all so tall.”

      “We take after our father,” he said.

      The next man stepped forward and held out his hand. Shelby shook it. “Name’s Thad. I work with the Raleigh Police Department. I’d like to ask you some questions about the men who held you captive.”

      Shelby’s face paled and she snatched her hand away.

      “Thad,” his mother touched his arm. “Can’t it wait just a few minutes?”

      Thad frowned. “We need to catch the men who did this. Shelby’s the only witness we have.” One look at his mother’s face and he nodded. “Okay, just a few minutes.”

      Sam shook his head. “You look so much like Mother.”

      Her face pale, her eyes wide, Shelby chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m sorry. It’s going to take some time getting used to all this.”

      The door opened again and the doctor entered. “Good grief, are we having a family reunion?”

      “We’re going.” Trey nodded to his brothers. “Let’s give our niece some room.”

      “I have questions,” Thad insisted.

      “They can wait until we get to the estate,” Kate said softly.

      The doctor stepped past the people standing around and shone a light into Shelby’s eyes, then pressed his stethoscope against her chest.

      “What estate?” Shelby leaned around the doctor. “I’m going home as soon as I get the okay from the doctor.”

      The doctor straightened and tucked the stethoscope in his pocket. “That will be as soon as we can get your discharge papers.”

      “She’s okay?” Kate asked.

      The doctor nodded and stared down at Shelby. “Drink plenty of liquids and take it easy for a few days.”

      “I can go?” she asked.

      “Yes, ma’am.”

      “Good.” Shelby tossed the sheet aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Come on, Granddad, let’s go home.”

      Patrick O’Hara shook his head.

      Daniel braced himself for the coming storm.

      “Honey, we’re not going home yet. Not until the police find the ones responsible for kidnapping and almost murdering you.”

      “If we’re not going home, then where are we going?” Her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed.

      “You’ll stay with us at the Winston Estate,” Kate said, her tone brooking no argument. “You’ll have round-the-clock security. Daniel Henderson will be your bodyguard.”

      Daniel almost laughed at the shock on Shelby’s face. He wasn’t sure what she found most disturbing—staying at the Winston Estate or having him as a bodyguard.

      He leaned close and whispered in her ear. “If it’s any consolation, it’s not my idea of a good time, either.”

      * * *

      Shelby stood on shaky legs, wearing slim-cut, cream-colored trousers, a short-sleeved cashmere sweater, sandals and undergarments thoughtfully provided by her supposed grandmother. The clothing she’d been wearing for the past two weeks had probably been condemned and thrown away as unfit for the granddaughter of the former vice president.

      Though her knees wobbled and the pain meds she’d been given hadn’t quite worn off and left her feeling a little fuzzy headed, Shelby refused to show even the slightest weakness to the Winstons or the odious man who’d been assigned as her bodyguard. That he was no happier about the arrangement than she was did little to appease her. Strangely, it made her more angry and disgruntled about the entire arrangement.

      “I have assignments to complete. I can’t do them without going to the library in Beth City,” she muttered.

      Daniel Henderson stood beside her, his face impassive, wearing mirrored sunglasses that completely hid any expression in his eyes, frustrating Shelby even more.

      “You can’t leave the estate until we find your kidnappers.”

      “Like hell,” she

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