LITMIR.BIZ

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help us.”

      Tara stared at Matt Landers, wondering what he was up to. “Maybe this will all backfire on you.”

      He glared at her. “Things can’t get any worse than they are now.”

      Tara had agreed to meet in the coffee shop next to the motel that evening with Matt and his private investigator, Jim Sloan. She had fed Erin, and the baby was sleeping peacefully in the carrier beside her in the booth. But for how long? She checked her watch. It was after eight o’clock. Glancing toward the door of the restaurant, she began to think this was a crazy idea.

      At a larger, state-of-the-art lab that afternoon, they’d taken blood and saliva samples for the DNA test. Matt had asked that they meet later with Sloan. He wanted to know if she knew anything.

      It looked like Dr. Landers wasn’t going to show up. She glanced at her watch again. Of course, what did she expect? Since the moment they’d met, he had her jumping through hoops. Well, no more. She wasn’t going to wait around for his convenience. She dug through her purse to get some money for her coffee and a tip when she saw him coming toward her.

      His steps were hurried as he made his way across the crowded restaurant. Dressed in the same gray slacks and white shirt, he’d added a lightweight jacket to ward off the cool ocean air. He looked slightly rumpled, but that only added to his appeal. The women in the room quickly took notice of the good-looking doctor.

      Stop it! she told herself. This man had left her sister without a backward glance. Now he was shirking his responsibility with his daughter.

      “I’m sorry, Tara,” he said, sounding a little breathless. “I had an emergency.”

      “I wish you’d called.” She nodded toward the baby. “Erin needs to go to bed. It’s been a long day.”

      “I know,” he said. “I couldn’t get to a phone.”

      Before Tara could say anything more, the waitress appeared.

      “I’ll have coffee, please,” Matt said, then he turned on his killer smile, and the young waitress nearly swooned. Flashes of another charming man came to Tara’s mind. Her father. She swiftly pushed away the thought.

      “Look,” she said, “it’s late, and I don’t want Erin to wake up in the middle of your investigator asking me questions.”

      “I know, and I apologize for keeping you both here, especially since Jim Sloan is still in Los Angeles following up on a lead.” He glanced around. “But there is someone else who might convince you that my story isn’t crazy.”

      Tara didn’t care if he was about to introduce her to the president, she wasn’t going to hang around. She felt that was all she’d been doing the past forty-eight hours. “Why don’t you let me return to Phoenix? I promise I’ll never contact you again.”

      His eyes narrowed, but he kept silent until the waitress brought his coffee and left. He leaned forward. “And you’ll always wonder if I’m the baby’s father. What are you going to tell her when she grows up? That her father, Dr. Matt Landers, didn’t want her? No, I’m through being a pawn for this other guy.”

      Tara saw an anger in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. Not that she was afraid, but she suspected he was a dangerous man to cross. She raised her chin. “Then what do you want from me?”

      Matt’s gaze went to the door, then he suddenly stood. “I’ll be right back.” He walked to a middle-aged man in a dark suit and shook his hand. Together they came to the table. Matt slid into the booth, and the man followed.

      “Tara, this is Detective Tom Warren with the Santa Cruz Police Department. Tom, this is Tara McNeal.” He pointed to the carrier and the sleeping child. “Her niece, Erin.”

      Detective Warren reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small leather folder containing a badge. “Ms. McNeal. Nice to meet you.” He smiled, and lines crinkled around his kind hazel eyes. “Cute baby.”

      A little nervous, Tara examined the silver shield. “Why are you here, Detective?”

      “Dr. Landers called today and asked me to talk with you.”

      “About what?”

      “I was the one who answered the call at Riverhaven Hospital when a robbery took place in the doctor’s lounge. Dr. Landers’s locker had been broken into. The thief got away with his watch and wallet. Then the doctor and I met again a few months later. He came into the station after he discovered someone was using his name on credit applications. He filed a fraud complaint.

      “Since then, I’ve been putting in extra time trying to catch this guy. Whoever he is, he’s been pretty slick so far. I can’t decide if the guy is just brazen, or if he’s got a vendetta against the doctor.”

      “Dr. Landers is lucky to have inspired your dedication.”

      Tom Warren smiled. “The whole department is trying their best. A few years back, Dr. Landers operated on my partner’s little boy. My godchild. We take care of our own here in Santa Cruz.”

      Tara looked at Matt. Was he really everything that he seemed to be? Could a man who’d spent his career saving children abandon his own? She wanted to think no.

      “But until this last year,” the detective continued, “there weren’t any laws to protect against this crime. Believe me, when this guy is caught, we’re going to throw the book at him. Sorry to say, we’ve had leads but nothing has panned out.” The officer drew in a long breath and relaxed against the back of the booth. “I’m sorry, Ms. McNeal, I know you want this man for purely different reasons, but if you have any information that might help us we’d be anxious to hear it.”

      “All my sister told me about the man was his name… Dr. Matthew Landers.”

      “If you can think of anything else please stop by the station.” He pulled out a business card. “I’m usually there during the day.” He slid out of the booth.

      “I’ll be leaving tomorrow, Detective.” There was no reason for her to stay. She doubted that even the sainted Matt Landers could get the police to lie for him.

      He wasn’t Erin’s father.

      “Well, I’ve got to go,” the detective said.

      “Thanks for coming by, Tom,” Matt said. He stood and shook the officer’s hand.

      “No problem.” He nodded to Tara and left.

      Tara started gathering her things. She hated to be wrong, but the facts were pretty daunting. “I guess that means I’m heading back to Phoenix. I’m sorry I disrupted your life, Doctor.”

      “My life was a mess long before you came,” he said. “But you can actually help me. We can still help each other.”

      “I doubt that,” she said skeptically.

      “No, really. This could be an opportunity to find the man who’s destroying my life, and more importantly, who ran out on your sister.”

      She closed her eyes and sighed. “I told you I’ve taken responsibility for Erin, and I will raise her.”

      “So you believe me? You finally believe that I never knew your sister—that I’m not Erin’s father?”

      She almost wished he were. Now she had to deal with the fact that her niece’s father was not only a jerk, but a thief, too. “I believe you.”

      He smiled, reached across the table and took her hand. “Then stay and we’ll work together to find him.”

      She was weakening and she hated that. But she had promised Bri. “What about the DNA test? It’s costing you a lot of money.”

      He shook his head. “It’s worth it. And it doesn’t hurt to have the proof, anyway.”

      Tara knew that he was talking about her. She stood and picked

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